the Wonsan Post

Bye!

2007-04-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

I'm mad lazy and $h1t so I don't update. So I'm going to stop posting. I'm working on putting a blog together for revolution in Japan and Japanese anti-pop culture stuff with some people. Here's what has happened through this blog:

-Nothing
-Nothing
-Nothing
-Creation of the Nihon Sekigun or Japanese Red Army. The rebirth of the notorious left-wing Japanese terrorist group that was active in the 70's and 80's but disbanded a few years ago. It's going to be peaceful. We want to stop ultra-nationalism and corporate corruption and scandals and make Japan a more peaceful nation.

Why The Deal Will Work This Time

2007-02-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

Many people are criticizing the new deal between the US and North Korea saying that the fuel that will be given to north Korea will just be used to reactivate the Yongbyan Reactor. But this time they're wrong. Why? Because the US had the upper hand in negotiations. We had a weapon. It's called freezing assets. The other two times that an agreement was reached with North Korea, the US didn't have much of an upper hand. We were the scared ones; North Korea had nothing to lose. But this time we froze Kim Jong-il's assets that are used to buy many luxury items. We also put an embargo on luxury goods that were being sent to north Korea. Kim Jong-il couldn't buy his scotch anymore; nor could he buy his movies or boats or luxury cars. That was the last straw. It was either live without these luxury items or give into the US' demands. Kimmy boy chose the second option.

Now North Korea can get its energy and Kim Jong-il's luxuries while the US and the rest of NE Asia can live without the fear of North Korea having the Bomb. In this situation, everybody wins. And who knows, maybe Bush's popularity will rise above 40% for the first time in a while. And hell, maybe the troop surge will work. The next question is whether or not neo-Stalinism is dead after this agreement.

Movies About the DPRK!

2007-02-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

There are two movies about North Korea that are being shown right now. The first is called Abduction: the Megumi Yokota Story. It's a documentary about 13-year old Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 so she could help the North Korean military learn Japanese. This was one of the many kidnappings that took place in Japan.

The other movie is called Crossing the Line. It tells the story about Joe Dresnok, one of the only American soldiers to defect to North Korea. Dresnok had a very abusive childhood and dropped out of high school. After serving a sentence for theft he joined the Army. He was stationed in West Germany where he met his wife who later left him after two years. Dresnok was moved to Korea to guard the old DMZ. Facing a court martial after an incident in one of the many villages of "comfort" women near the base he defected to North Korea. In this film he tells his story but doesn't say much about the regime. It's going to be at the Berlin Film Festival, so watch out all of you Berliners!

CSM On Kim Jong-il

2007-01-04T18:37:00.001-08:00

Christian Science Monitor is doing a series of articles on Kim Jong-il which I stumbled upon while going through Yahoo! News.

You Can Read It Here

Paek Nam Sum, DPRK Foreign Ministerm Dead at 78

2007-01-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer 24 minutes ago
SEOUL, South Korea - Paek Nam Sun, North Korea's foreign minister and the country's top diplomat for nearly 10 years, has died at the age of 78, official media reported Wednesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il expressed his condolences, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported.

The one-sentence dispatch did not provide any more details, including when or how he died. But China's official Xinhua news agency said Paek died Tuesday.Paek has been the North's top diplomat since 1998. News reports have said he was suffering from kidney disease. It was unclear who would succeed him.

Paek's death is not believed likely to lead to any change in North Korea's foreign policy. The North's Foreign Ministry usually implements policies that have been crafted by the ruling Korean Workers' Party. Power is heavily concentrated in Kim's hands, and state officers stray from the official line at their peril.

His most recent overseas trip was to Malaysia for Asia's largest security conference, called ARF, and then Singapore for an official visit in July last year. In previous ARF meetings, Paek met Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell but did not hold such a meeting with Condoleezza Rice in July.

His death came as tensions remained high on the Korean peninsula following the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test. North Korea held talks with the United States and other regional powers last month in the nuclear standoff, but they failed to make any progress.

Ban Ki-moon, who stepped down as South Korea's foreign minister in October to become the new U.N. secretary-general, expressed his condolences on the death of Paek, "with whom he worked for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula over the years," U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said in New York."The secretary-general hopes that the death of foreign minister Paek does not, in any case, hinder the ongoing six-party process or the way for North Korea's foreign policy to open up to the international community," Montas said.Ban, who succeeded Kofi Annan as secretary-general, has said one of his top priorities will be to try to bring peace to the Korean peninsula.

Paek graduated from the prestigious Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, and later participated in talks in the 1970s between the two countries' Red Cross societies over issues such as separated families. Diplomatic involvement with South Korea, the North's wealthy neighbor and former battlefield foe, has always been a key to career advancement for North Korean officials.Paek was also ambassador to Poland in the 1970s.Paek was an elite loyalist who rose over decades through government ranks. He was born in 1929 in North Hamgyong, a province on the Chinese and Russian borders that is home to a coal mine notorious for forced labor as well as a key missile base.

2006-12-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. officials have proposed putting more anti-missile radar in Japan to help intercept weapons from North Korea headed for U.S. soil, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Quoting an unnamed U.S. military source, the Asahi Shimbun said the radar would also be intended to better monitor and track ballistic missiles from the communist state heading toward U.S. troops stationed in Japan and South Korea.

Security worries have mounted since North Korea test-fired a barrage of missiles in July and conducted its first-ever nuclear test in October.

Japanese defense officials are considering the proposal, which was made in mid-November, the Asahi said.

The United States currently has anti-missile radar in northern Japan. But that radar failed to pick up missile tests by North Korea in July because it had been monitoring missiles headed for U.S. soil.

Those missiles fell into the Sea of Japan.

LINK

The Current Economic Situation in North Korea

2006-12-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

So how is North Korea's economy coming along? Much better than a few years ago.

Andrei Lankov had an interesting article a few days ago on Neo-Stalinist economics vs. capitalism. Many merchants around the country are making tons of money. Sometimes more than party officials. On top of that many North Koreans are buying bootleg DVDs of Korean dramas and small handheld radios from China. Outside information is coming into North Korea.

But if it is, then why aren't the people mad at the current regime? Simple. They're making money and don't want to screw it up. If they start to question the government, then they'll get arrested and thrown into jail and lose all of the money they earned which will go to the government.

NEWS: Moderate conservatives and reformists are beating Ahmadinejad's ultra=conservatives in the local elections! In a few years, North Korea can say good bye to Iranian nuclear technology!

A Fresh New Start

2006-12-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. Acid Police is dead. The second name change. I'll be posting on weekends and sometimes weekdays (when I have vacation). I'll post some stuff tomorrow on North Korea's economy. Later.

Andrei Lankov on Sanctions

2006-10-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Andrei Lankov had a really good piece about what to do with sanctions. He says there are no good options.

www.nkzone.org

Andrei Lankov is a very smart man. Those so-called experts keep on talking about how China needs to get into this. They are, but they don't want to search P'yongyang's ships. They know most of their products goes through rail or gets smuggled over the border.

We need a cultural exchange. Not a political exchange. I said before that political radio stations aren't doing the job. That's why we need underground radio stations broadcasting Korean music into North Korea.

That might lead to a whole cultural revolution. Not the Mao type. But seeing punks on the street. Graffiti on the walls. Modern Art. Revolution in the air. You know. A sort of 70's thing.

That Info You've Been Waiting For

2006-10-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just e-mailed some one from LiNK (Liberty in North Korea). I'm going to try and start a LiNK chapter or work with them. As soon as I get an e-mail back I'll post the info. I think it would be best to work with a large organization like LiNK.

www.linkglobal.org

The Acid Police

2006-10-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Acid Police. More info soon. Stay Tuned.

New Layout!

2006-10-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

New Layout. The old one was pissing me off. This one looks so much better. Added some links to the sidebar (You have to scroll all the way down because a few of the links I posted from articles in my posts are too long!!!!!!).

I want to set up a formal resistance commitee. I know people read my blog so please comment if you're interested. If at least ten people want to join then it's going to form. I'm thinking up some names right now. I'm in favor of the Real Korean People's Army.

North Korea Set To Conduct Nuclear Test

2006-10-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a while. School's started, so updating regularly is a pain in the ass right now. So anyways, this morning I picked up the New York Sun (Best newspaper in NYC. A little bit too right-wing for me, but much cheaper and smaller than the NY Times. And isn't it nice to get a Conservative point of view in the liberal capital of NYC?). As I started to read the foreign news section, the first thing I saw was a big article on North Korea testing a nuclear weapon.

North Korea's Neighbors Warn It Not to Conduct Nuclear
Test
By JAE-SOON CHANG - Associated PressOctober 4, 2006
posted 12:30 pm EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea's neighbors issued stern warnings Wednesday against Pyongyang's threat to carry out an unprecedented nuclear test, but the isolated communist country insisted that such a move wouldn't be meant as a provocation.
South Korean officials said there was no sign a test was imminent and warned that such a test could prompt Japan to developing atomic weapons and threaten a regional arms race.
A newspaper in Japan, meanwhile, reported that two Japanese spy satellites had not
observed any preparation activities at a suspected underground test site.

You can continue reading here: http://http://www.nysun.com/article/40930

This is bad. But as you get towards the end of the article you'll start to read about what China might just do. China really wants to do more buisness with North Korea, but Kim Jong-il and thw KWP won't let them. It would let outside information get into the hermit kingdom and that's what the North Korean government is afraid of. China sees North Korea as a jewel. But some old guy with a stick won't let them have it. China can't hit that old man because that would be bad and the old guy has a stick. A stick won't kill you but it would hurt. And China doesn't want to feel pain. Not when they're doing so well economically.

Battle of the Airwaves!

2006-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

NK Zone posted an interesting article about foreign radio broadcasts coming into North Korea. So I though why not post the link so you can read it for yourself and I'll make my comment on it.

http://http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/HF28Dg04.html

Now in the article it says there are three radio stations that broadcast into North Korea. Radio Free Asia, Free North Korea Radio, and Voice of America. All political stations. Why does North Korea need to hear about our politics? They'll dismiss that stuff as propaganda. So I was thinking. Why not start a Korean music station? I've heard some pretty shitty Korean music, but the punk scene is pretty good. A North Korean Punk rock station. Not 0nly will it broadcast punk from Korea, but maybe from the US and the UK and stuff. And maybe sprinkle in some politics.

But one song being played in North Korea must be,"Acid Police" by the Boredoms. The anthem of rioting for the sake of the Acid Police. Why not? Go look for that song on iTunes or something.

When Will We See Economic Reform?

2006-08-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

When will North Korea see economic reform? Well, who the hell knows. We're a seeing reform at a snail's pace. Obviously North Korea isn't going to go the China route. Kim Jong-il is afraid of losing his grip on power. He has a cult following and doesn't want to see it go. Deng Xiopeng didn't have a cult personality and wanted rule centered around the Communist Party. KJI on the other hand doesn't want to see the Korean Workers Party have the central authority, he wants the power all to himself (Obviously he didn't go to a good pre-school).

But another factor that comes into this is hereditary succession. If the KWP is in power, they won't go through with KJI's plan. The North Korean people seeing the Kim family economic plan will begin questioning of the central authority and can lead to rebellion.

The obvious part is having the outside world come in. When a bunch of North Koreans had to come back from working in Russia they ouright refused to do so after seeing how great it was outside of North Korea. They even hired mercenaries to guard the complex.

So what can we wait for? Well, his successor. His son can bring about economic reforms and lead North Korea out of its cave. KJI would be dead by then, and North Korea will become a modern country again. If not that, we could see a political coup. The KWP getting rid of North Korea and introducing reforms.

North Korea and Terrorism

2006-08-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Many people say North Korea doesn't support terrorism anymore. That after the bombing of a South Korean airliner that killed 115 people. But I'm about to prove those people wrong. North Korea has sold weapons to the notorious Tamil Tigers, a seperatist group that wants an independent Hindu nation in Sri Lanka, and the United Wa State Army, a Burmese seperatist group. Now a country that uses the drug trade to help out its economy MUST support terrorists. The United Wa State Army is a huge contributor to the growing drug trade in Burma. North Korea even harbors terrorists. There are several Japanese Red Army members who, after hijacking an aircraft, fled to North Korea. There have also been numerous assassination attempts of South Korean politicians and many failed commando raids.

Yankees have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Red Sox! RED SOX SUCK!!!!!!!!

The Ryongchon Conspiracy

2006-08-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

It all makes sense:

Mr. Kim said, “There are about 210 counties in North Korea and I was
reported that flyers describing the details of Ryongchon accident have been
distributed all across the nation,” adding “The purpose of staging this accident
was probably to create a subterfuge for sweeping purge by appealing there was a
force trying to assassinate (Kim Jong Il). I also heard that missile(s) being
exported to Syria was onboard the train and exploded. They blew up the
missile(s) because the production was faulty and they wanted to get rid of it.
Moreover, Ryongchon is near Shinuiju and there is a plan to build a Special
Economic Zone. But ever since Japanese colonial days, this area is traditionally
known for its rebellious tendency. By blowing up the old buildings and
rebuilding new streets, they seemed to have been able to relocate the residents
with problems to other areas with ease.”
http://http://www.backtopyongyang.org/multiple_subversive_groups_in_North_Korea.html
Well, relocation of a rebellious bunch and a huge propaganda wave. It makes perfect sense.

North Korea Captures USN UUV

2006-08-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

I beliece this is my 25th post! Hooray! Now let's get down to buisness. AP has reported that North Korea has claimed to have captured a US spy UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle). Here's the article:

North Korea claimed it has captured an unmanned U.S. submersible and put it
on display in Pyongyang, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan said Monday. The
U.S. dismissed the report. The small vessel was captured during a reconnaissance
mission in waters off North Korea's eastern city of Hamhung, said the Choson
Sinbo newspaper, which is published by a pro-North Korean association linked to
the Pyongyang government. The newspaper report on its Web site, which is
monitored in Seoul, was accompanied by a picture purported to be of the black
torpedo-shaped U.S. vessel. There were no further details as to when or how
North Korea obtained it. A spokesman for the U.S. military in South Korea, David
Oten, dismissed the report. "We have nothing unaccounted for and there is no way
for us to verify that this is a U.S. vessel," Oten said. Last September, North
Korean leader Kim Jong-Il instructed officials to put the captured vessel on
public display next to the spy ship USS Pueblo, which the communist regime
seized along with its crew of 82 in 1968, the newspaper said. The crew was
released after 11 months. The Pueblo, moored to the bank of the Taedong River in
Pyongyang, is now the site of tours to inspire anti-U.S. sentiment among the
country's 23 million people. Some 1,500 North Koreans made daily visits to the
Pueblo during a recent month-long, anti-U.S. rally period, said the newspaper.
Despite repeated U.S. assurances that it has no intention of attacking the
North, the communist country frequently claims that Washington seeks to invade
it and that the U.S. is driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of
war. The North recently raised regional tensions by test-launching seven
missiles, including a new long-range model believed capable of reaching the U.S.
that failed shortly after takeoff.
http://http://www.forbes.com/business/businesstech/feeds/ap/2006/08/07/ap2930859.html
Now this whole block quote thing is screwed up. Here's apicture of the thing:
Now this thing looks like a big-ass torpedo. One guy left a comment on NK Zone saying that when he visited P'yongyang, he went to see the USS Pueblo which is now a propaganda museum. The tour guide showed them the UUV and said it was a spy torpedo. But what the f**k is a spy torpedo? But here's the thing. There was a torpedo that big. It's the Type 93. It was used by the Imperial japanese Navy in WWII. There's a very informative wikipedia entry on this.
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Lance
So there we have it. Case Closed. Whoever goes to see this when they visit North Korea. Tell the tour guide that it's an old Type 93 torpedo.

Have You Seen This Man?

2006-08-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press Writer 27 minutes ago
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il hasn't appeared in public since his country test-fired missiles that drew international condemnation, leading to speculation of a possible sense of crisis inside the reclusive nation.

Kim attended a Russian art performance and visited a tire factory July 4, a day before the missile launches, and he hasn't appeared publicly since, according to South Korea's spy agency.
The North's propaganda machine hasn't reported on Kim's activities since the missile launches, but last week the country's official news agency said Kim sent a consolation message to ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Kim usually visits military units a few times a month to bolster his "songun," or "military-first," policy that rewards the 1.1 million-member military with the country's scarce resources despite chronic food shortages.

Of Kim's 131 public activities last year, 70 events were military-related, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry. So far this year, 52 of 69 public activities were connected to the military, the backbone of Kim's totalitarian rule.

Some North Korea watchers have speculated that Kim might be in a bunker, since the country is believed to have imposed a quasi-war footing after the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution condemning the missile tests and calling for nations to stop any missile-related trade with it.
The North test-launched seven missiles July 5, including a new model believed capable of reaching the U.S. that failed shortly after takeoff.

Getting a clear picture of the isolated communist regime is extremely difficult, because it strictly controls media and denies nearly all outside access.

In 2003, Kim disappeared from the public eye for seven weeks when his hard-line regime quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the United States invaded Iraq.
Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea analyst at the independent Sejong Institute, attributed Kim's latest absence to massive floods in North Korea, saying he has shied away from the public in times of crisis in the past.

"Kim is refraining from public activities as he is in a serious internal crisis," Cheong said.
Last month's heavy rains in North Korea killed at least 549 people and left 295 others missing while flooding more than 48,000 acres of farmland and destroying nearly 4,500 homes, according to a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan.

A senior South Korean intelligence official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of his position, didn't attach any significance to Kim's seeming absence, saying he often disappeared from public view.

"Setting up a 'bamboo curtain' is a basic governing ideology of communist North Korea," the official said, referring to the "Iron Curtain" that once separated communist East Europe from the West.

So where's Kim?

DPRI?

2006-08-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry people who visit this blog, I was on vacation. Well more like a camp. I was doing a lot of soccer, or for our foreign readers, football. Anyway, let's see what's going on right now. It seems that there were Iranians at the missile test. This is some old news, but I think it's about time I analyze the relationship between Iran and North Korea and how it can play out militarily. They have a common goal. Defeat the US. What's funny is how opposite the two countries are. Iran is a very conservative theocratic nation who is run by Islamic religous leaders. North Korea is a Stalinist dictatorship that bans every other religion besides the cult one that worships the "Dear Leader" as a God (Obviously he's not). Here's a piece of news that I found at IRNA:

Iran-North Korea-Cooperation North Korean Ambassador to Tehran Kim Chong Ryong conferred here Sunday with the Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi on expansion of mutual and international relations.
According to the Public Relations Department of Majlis, at the meeting, Boroujerdi expressed satisfaction with the expansion of ties between the two countries and expressed hope to witness further expansion of political and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Highlighting Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, he said it is about two and half years that the country has adopted a very close, transparent cooperation with the three European countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IAEA director general has officially declared that Iran has not deviated from peaceful nuclear activities, he pointed out.
Iran believes in continued dialogue to resolve nuclear issues and welcomes it, he said adding that but the country will not give up its legitimate right for peaceful purposes.
The North Korean ambassador, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the expansion of ties between the two countries and voiced his country's readiness for further expansion and consolidation of ties at various fields mainly on parliamentarian affairs through activating Iran-North Korean Parliamentary Friendship Groups.
Referring to Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, he said that peaceful application of nuclear energy is among the legitimate rights of all countries.
North Korea fully supports Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, he said.
At the end of the meeting, the North Korean ambassador extended an invitation to Iran-North Korea parliamentary friendship group to pay an official visit to the country.

This f**king blog screws up the whole copy and paste thing. You can view the normal article here: http://http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0603058067201235.htm

Obviously they have some sort of military relationship going. Iran has a surprisingly advanced military industry. They're on their way to producing indigenous fighter jets and tanks. Something that North Korea is in need for. Meanwhile, Iran wants... well Iran already has what they want. They like North Korea because they know the US is a bit afraid of them. Is there a possibility of opening second fronts if one of the countries goes to war? I think so. Iran is already waging war against Israel with Hizballah and HAMAS. So why not open another one? One which is very far away. Korea! And if North Korea is attacked. Well Iran will screw with the shipping lanes and make things very hard for the US in Iraq. Not really opening as much of a second front, but good enough.

I have news not really related to this kind of stuff. I live in New York as it says on the blog thing. Brooklyn to be exact. And I'm a Yankee fan. So I'm proud to announce that the Yankees are 2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox (Who suck!!!!!!!!!) in the AL East. We've gone through so many injuries and we still can win the AL East. And kudos to Brian Cashman for making some nice moves before the deadline.

The Submarine Threat

2006-07-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I posted an article that talked about the Golf issue (No not Kim Jong-il hitting 11 hole-in-ones). I noted that if North Korea can get a missile to fit in there, then there will be some problems. But let me think that over. It won't cause many problems. The Golf-class was a 50's diesel design made by the Russians back in the Cold War who wanted an enormous submarine force. It's noisy just like many other Russian diesel designs, most notably the Kilo. Plus, North Korea does not have the ships to support its Golf. They cannot send in a battle group, the KPAN is a coastal defense force. The Golf-class will just be another launch pad for missiles. It can't go anywhere without being tracked by ROKN, USN, and JMSDF ships and submarines and it can't be submerged for too long. The KPAN is still a joke, even of they get their missiles on the Golf-class.

Kim Jong-il Is Getting Married-Again

2006-07-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Since his wife, Ko Yong-hi, died of cancer last year it seems that Kim Jong-il is very lonely. So he's marrying his ex-secretary, Kim Ok. He's been living with her for some time now. Thanks to nkzone.org! To read the rest go to http://http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200607/200607240003.html.

From My Friends at KCNA

2006-07-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

My friends at KCNA had this to say about my country:

The U.S. is not interested at all in the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula. It only dreams of military hegemony in this region. To be sympathetic to this is, to all intents and purposes, tantamount to being embroiled into the anti-pacific and hegemonic policy of the U.S. and to a suicidal act of jumping into fire with faggot on one's back.

Floods kill over 100 in DPRK

2006-07-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

SEOUL, South Korea - More than 100 people are dead or missing in North Korea due to floods and landslides, an aid group operating in the communist nation said Wednesday.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said heavy rains last week and this week had caused flash floods that totally or partially destroyed 11,524 houses, leaving more than 9,000 families homeless.
More than 100 people were dead or missing, the group said in a statement, without giving further details on casualties. The damage has cut off telephone connections, making collecting reliable information difficult, it said.
"A lot of people have been displaced, they are trying to find out who is actually missing," Jaap Timmer, head of the International Red Cross in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, told The Associated Press by telephone.
South Korea has also suffered from the heavy rains, which have led to at least 25 deaths as of Wednesday, according to the South's Yonhap news agency.
The North's official media has reported on the weather affecting the country, but has not mentioned any damage or casualties.
The federation said the heavy weather could also affect North Korea's food supply — critical to the country that suffered famine in the 1990s believed to have killed as many as 2 million people.
"Extensive areas of arable fields have been inundated, wiping out much of the anticipated harvest," the federation said.
North Koreans' efforts to grow food on any possible arable land has led to deforestation in the mountainous areas of the country's South Pyongan, North Hwanghe and Kangwon provinces, leading to landslides, Timmer said.
"Erosion is most likely the main cause of this large disaster," he said.
To cope with the disaster, the federation was providing blankets, kitchen sets, plastic sheeting, water containers and purification tablets to 9,934 families whose homes were destroyed. The group also said it was considering launching an emergency international appeal.
Timmer said the Red Cross was considering launching an international emergency appeal, and representatives were negotiating with the government to get access to affected areas to survey what was needed. He said he hoped to send workers to the area by Thursday or Friday.

This is horrible news. My prayers are with the North Korean people who are already suffering from starvation because of the incompetant North Korean regime. Maybe the guerillas will form after this.

Lessons from Lebanon

2006-07-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am editing this. It's mad confusing. Yes, finally I'm editing this. Let's put your insurgency in the shoes of Hizballah. How do you get your followers? You be nice and set up programs to help people. This is a common tactic used by guerillas. Mao did it, HAMAS is doing it too, and so did the Viet Cong. Let's put North Korea in Israel's shoes. You're getting rocketed at. So you respond. But because North Korea is soooooooo crazy, they go all out. What do you do? Set up fortified positions in many areas and set-up a reserve force that's behind your main force of about 2-3,000. Of course you don't have the $100M Hizballah gets each year from their friends in Iran and Syria, but you at least have some money. North Korean armor is very weak. Recoiless Rifles and RPGs should do the trick. But what about those fighter planes flying up in the air. Well, the KPAF sucks and you have your fortified positions. You need to follow this crisis closely. My prayers go out to the Israeli and Lebanese people.

LICENSE TO IL

2006-07-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

If I spelled license wrong, whatever. I don't care.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWBoP2AA56o

This is pretty funny. Successful missile tests. Then explain why the Taep'odong stopped after 35 seconds in the air.

Breaking News: The North Koreans demanded that the South stop joint military drills with the United States due next year, saying it was ready to protect South Koreawith its 1.2-million-strong armed forces.
That provoked an unusually biting reply from South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok that echoed the rhetoric of the years before Seoul's determined policy of rapprochement.
"Who in the South asked you to protect our safety?" Lee told Kwon on Tuesday, according to a South Korean official. "It would help our safety for the North not to fire missiles or develop a nuclear program."
-AP

Damn Commies

2006-07-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

-New satellite photos indicate that North Korea might be preparing for another missile test. Musudan-ri has had a lot of activity going on lately it seems.
-It seems like China isn't the answer. China is urging North Korea to come back to six-party talks, but there hasn't been much of a reaction coming from them.
-Worldwide hunger strike for the freedom of political prisoners in Iran. Join in and condemn Iran and especially North Korea for abusing human rights.
-Here's a new KCNA headline:

Pyongyang, July 10 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, and Pak Pong Ju, premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Monday received a message of greetings from Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, president of the People's Republic of China and chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, and Wen Jiabao, premier of the State Council of China. The message said: We, on behalf of the Communist Party, government and people of China, offer warm felicitations and the best wishes to you and, through you, to the Workers' Party of Korea, the DPRK government and the fraternal Korean people on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the conclusion of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. The treaty has served as an important document in the relations between China and the DPRK. Over the last 45 years both China and the DPRK have jointly accelerated the cause of socialist construction and defended the peace and stability of the region, respecting and supporting each other and closely cooperating with each other on the principle and spirit of the treaty. The traditional Sino-DPRK friendship stood the test of history and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples as it was provided and fostered with good care by leaders of the elder generation of the two countries. It is a steadfast strategic policy of the Chinese party and government to steadily develop the Sino-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations. At this new historic period we will join the Korean side in deepening the exchange and cooperation between the two countries in different fields in the spirit of "inheriting the tradition, facing up to the future and strengthening the good neighborly friendship and cooperation" and thus steadily boost the friendly and cooperative relations between China and the DPRK. We are pleased to witness the steady new achievements made by the Korean people in various fields such as economy, social development and foreign relations under the leadership of the WPK headed by Comrade Kim Jong Il. We wholeheartedly wish the DPRK prosperity and its people happiness.

Bravery or Stupidity?

2006-07-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

As I write this entry, the UN Security Council is meeting over what to do with North Korea. It's either a; economic sanctions or b; military action.......... How f**king stupid do you have to be to choose choice A!? Really people, military action would leave millions dead in the Korean Peninsula. If the UN announces they want war, then North Korea will lauch a pre-emptive strike and bring down all of Seoul. Plus the South Korean people would never let the US-sponsered attack be launched from South Korean soil. They want the US gone! They know they can handle North Korea on their own. Launching an attack from Japan is retarded. Let's land at a heavily fortified beach area! That would obviously lead to victory! Especially when we get a nuke shoved up our ass!!!!!!!!! This is the first time I've ever really seen North Korea as a threat. The current South Korean government is leaning towards brotherhood with the North Koreans, and they don't want to f**k it up! Economic sanctions are much more realistic. North Korea's economy is improving at a slow, but steady pace and sanctions would murder that pace. Being moderate is fun. When the liberal people criticize the US for sanctions because North Korean children are starving you can fight back at them by saying North Korea has been starving for the past 20 years and we have already put out a helping hand but they don't want our helping hand. When the conservatives then want to escalate this to war, then just tell them what I just wrote. BE MODERATE, BE AGGRESSIVE!

Uh-oh!

2006-07-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

The U.S. State Department is confirming that North Korea launched a long-range missile early Wednesday morning, but that the missile failed less than a minute after take-off.

The so-called North Korean threat is now officially over. And just to prove that they still have a missile capability they fired 4 short-range missiles. Wow! I'm scared to death! The rest of Asia must be laughing at them. What are their propaganda guys going to say? It hit the US and they're scared to death so they're not sending any military response back! Hahahahahahaha. Communism must suck.

Musudan-ri Launch Pad

2006-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Lots of news has come up about Musudan-ri. This is where North Korea will test out it's new Taep'o-dong-2C missile. Musudan-ri is a pretty simple. It has multiple facilities (Which you can see here: http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/no_dong-imagery.htm), and it covers about 2 kilometers. It has a missiles assembly/checkout building, a missile control building, and a test pad. Musudan-ri has been the launch pad for many of North Korea's missile tests (And has made the US wet its pants numerous times) and is VERY isolated. No paved roads lead to it and it is nowhere near a railroad. Analysts who have seen the satellite photos think that it's just a small base that is never frequently visited and used. It's located on the East Coast and was completed in 1998. It has already tested out the Nodong-1, Taep'o-dong-1, and is now preparing for the Taep'o-dong-2. In November 2002 an explosion occured at Musudan-ri. The accident has likely led to damage in North Korea's missile program, but in 2005 Musudan-ri was up and running, and there has been an increase in facilities and housing.

New North Korea Missile!?

2006-06-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

SEOUL, South Korea -
North Korea appeared close Sunday to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States, prompting the White House to warn of an appropriate response and Japan to threaten a "fierce" protest to the United Nations. North Korea was silent on the issue but vowed to bolster its "military deterrent" in a burst of fiery rhetoric carried by its state news agency.
A test launch of what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 missile would inflame a region already tense over the North's continuing nuclear weapons program."There are signs" of an imminent missile launch, Jung Tae-ho, a spokesman at the South Korean president's office, told The Associated Press. He added that security officials
were "closely watching the situation."
The North last conducted such a launch in August 1998. Pyongyang imposed a moratorium on testing long-range missiles in 1999.
The White House spokesman said Sunday the United States expected the
North to abide by that freeze.
"We do not want to have a missile test out of
North Korea," Tony Snow told "Fox News Sunday." "The North Koreans themselves decided in 1999 that they would place a moratorium on this kind of testing, and
we expect them to maintain the moratorium."
Snow noted that North Korea made a series of commitments in six-nation talks over its nuclear program in September, including that they would "bargain in good faith."
"We expect them to come back to the table," Snow said. "And we hope there's not going to be a launch."President Bush, national security adviser Stephen Hadley and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been in contact with more than a dozen countries and communicated with North Korea through the U.N. representative, Snow said."If they go ahead with a test, then we will have to respond properly and appropriately at the time," Snow told CNN's "Late Edition." Asked if he could explain what that meant, Snow replied, "No."
"Japan is reporting that, as far as they can tell, there are no plans to launch a missile today," Snow told CBS' "Face the Nation." The Taepodong-2 is the North's most advance missile and is capable of reaching parts of the United States with a light payload.
In Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said his country would take the issue to the United Nations."We will naturally file a stern protest and it will be
fierce," Aso told TV Asahi.He also said it would be "inevitable" that the Security Council would consider imposing sanctions on North Korea if it goes ahead with a launch. Japan also could impose sanctions on the North, he told Fuji TV.
Snow said he could not discuss specific intelligence about the suspected plans to launch a missile.But Japan's largest newspaper, Yomiuri,
reported Sunday that U.S. and Japanese officials have confirmed that North Korea
has assembled what is believed to be a Taepodong-2, with two stages at the
launch site, based on photos from satellites.
The newspaper and similar reports citing unidentified U.S. and diplomatic officials saying North Korea also may have begun fueling the missile.
North Korean officials talked Sunday about increasing the country's
"military deterrent" during a meeting celebrating the anniversary of leader Kim
Jong Il starting work in the communist party, the North's official Korean
Central News Agency said.
"Military deterrent" commonly refers to the nuclear program, which North Korea says it needs to defend itself against a potential U.S. attack. Washington denies any intention to invade. "The (North) Korean army and people will do their best to increase the military deterrent with sharp vigilance to cope with the moves of the U.S., which is hell-bent on provocations for war," said Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. "If the enemies ignite a war eventually, the Korean army and people will mercilessly wipe out the aggressors and give vent to the deep-rooted grudge of the nation," Choe was quoted as saying by the North Korean news agency.
The missile concerns come amid an extended impasse at the six-nation talks on the nuclear weapons program. The talks — involving the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia — were last held in November.
"We expect them to come back to the table. We do
not want to have a missile test out of North Korea," Snow told "Fox News
Sunday." The North claims it has nuclear weapons, but it is not believed to
have a design that would be small and light enough to top a missile.
___
Associated Press reporters Bo-mi Lim and Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul, Foster Klug
in Washington and Chisaki Watanabe in Tokyo contributed to this report.

This fucking blog fucks up the whole block quote thing. Anyway, North Korean missiles could hamper USAF heavy bombing. If they hit Guam, North Korea might have just saved some time. If North Korea does fire the missile, and it goes over Japan, then it would just be a good time for the Japanese to test out their new missile shield thingy. I would like to see how South Korea reacts to this. They're trying to warm up ties, which is bootleg, because North Korea has left 250,000 people in the gulag and 16 million people starving.

2006-05-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Pyongyang, April 27 (KCNA) -- A strange farce to hamstring the essential characters of the Korean nation and seek for “multiracial society” is now being held in south Korea. In this regard Rodong Sinmun today runs a signed commentary, which censures the farce as an unpardonable bid to negate the homogeneity of the nation, make south Korea multiracial and Americanize it. To deny the peculiarity and advantages of the homogeneous nation now that dominationism and colonialism are posing a threat to the destiny of weak nations is a treacherous act of weakening the spirit of the nation, the commentary says, and goes on: The south Korean pro-American traitorous forces advocating the theory of “multiracial society” are riffraffs who have not an iota of national soul, to say nothing of the elementary understanding of the view on the nation and social and historic development. If the homogeneity of the nation is not kept, the nation and the destiny of individuals cannot be defended from the U.S. dominationist moves and the attempt of the Japanese reactionaries for invasion of Korea, which is revealed in their claim to Tok Islet, cannot be checked. The theory of “multiracial society” is a poison and anti-reunification logic aimed to emasculate the basic idea in the era of independent reunification. The anti-national logic is advocated in south Korea, contrary to the aspiration of the fellow countrymen. This is ascribable to the criminal attempt of the pro-American elements including the Grand National Party to make the north and the south different in lineages, block the June 15 era of reunification and seek the permanent division of the nation and the manipulation of the U.S. behind the scene. The commentary calls upon the people from all walks of life in south Korea to decisively reject the anti-national moves of the sycophantic traitorous forces to tarnish the lineage of the Korean nation and obliterate it, bereft of the Juche character and national character.

Racist bastards! This is one of the reasons why North Korea is evil. I know it's not related to military stuff, but this just stood out! It's sickening! In other news, a North Korean freighter was blown up by Australian F-111s after learning the ship was filled with drugs. Good job RAAF!

http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4837484.stm

Drugs and narcotics are helping North Korea's economy. By deploying a task force in the Sea of Japan, more drugs can be blown up and the North Korean economy can suffer a little more. Maybe people will start to take these drugs in North Korea and do some crazy stuff. A drug-addicted country is always great! JK! JK!

Funny Stuff

2006-04-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Kim Jong Il Inspects KPA Navy Unit Pyongyang, April 13
(KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Il, general
secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence
Commission of the DPRK, inspected Unit 406 of the KPA Navy. Conducted by the
commander of the unit, he went round the monument to the on-the-spot guidance of
President Kim Il Sung, the room for the education in the revolutionary history
and the room dedicated to the history of the unit. Thanks to the wise leadership
and meticulous care of Kim Il Sung who exerted all efforts for the founding of
the naval force and worked heart and soul for its strengthening and development
till the last moments of his life, the navy of the DPRK has grown to be a
matchless force, he said, noting that the undying revolutionary feats performed
by Kim Il Sung in the Juche-based navy building will shine long in the annals of
the country. After acquainting himself with the unit's
performance of duty, he expressed great satisfaction over the fact that its
servicepersons have turned their naval port into an impregnable fortress to beat
back any surprise invasion of the U.S. imperialist aggressors in time and
prepared themselves to be navy men who cherish the spirit of devotedly defending
the leader, the spirit of becoming human bullets and bombs and the self-blasting
spirit as their unshakable faith. Then he took deep care of
the living of the seamen, going round the entertainment and educational and
supply service facilities of the unit. No details escaped
him, ranging from beds for seamen to processing, storing and taking care of
non-staple food and their tastes. He appreciated the efforts made by the
commanding officers of the unit, pleased to learn that they have provided the
servicepersons with good living conditions, bearing in mind the teaching of the
President that supply service precisely means a political work. Calling for
paying special attention to the living of the seamen as they live in a rough sea
in all seasons, he stressed the need for all the commanding officers to show
warm love for the soldiers and take care of them as their real parents would do
so that they may not feel any slightest inconvenience in their living.
He enjoyed an art performance given by seamen.
He had a picture taken with them. He also
inspected a sub-unit of the unit. He acquainted himself with
its servicepersons' performance of duty before watching them in training.
He underscored the need for the servicepersons to put the
training on a scientific and fruitful basis, saying that only when they undergo
an effective combat training can they acquire peculiar and superb tactics, high
marksmanship and specialized military technique. Then he went
round an education room, a bedroom, a mess hall, a wash-cum-bath house, a
barber's, a daily provision store and various other places of the sub-unit. He
gave its servicepersons a pair of binoculars and an automatic rifle as gifts and
had a photo session with them. He was accompanied by KPA
Generals Ri Myong Su, Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong and Vice Department
Director of the Central Committee of the WPK Hwang Pyong So.

http://http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.html

I found it pretty funny. Yeah, it's been a long time since I've posted.

Interesting Article on the Golfs.

2006-03-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this article at the Sino Defense Forum(www.sinodefence.com). It gives a great explaination about North Korea's ambitions for an SLBM and sheds some light on the Golf situation.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)--that is, North Korea--is now producing a second-generation long-range ballistic missile based on Russian technologies that poses a significantly increased threat to the United States and Japan. Armed with nuclear or chemical warheads, the missile can be hidden in silo bases and launched from merchant ships or even submarines. It is reportedly being tested in Iran. It is not unreasonable to expect that Pyongyang might well sell it and its technologies to other rogue states, possibly even to terrorist groups.
Certainly the weapon makes a mockery of former President Clinton’s attempts to bribe Pyongyang from developing missiles and underscores the unreality of basing American security on any future North Korean promises. It emphasizes the need for the United States to press ahead with missile defense and counterproliferation efforts, especially North Korean. The missile also raises.......
Continue at http://http://www.strategycenter.net/research/pubID.3/pub_detail.asp

North Korean Missile Test

2006-03-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

South Korea is not commenting on North Korea's reported launch of two short-range missiles this week. South Korean media reports cite anonymous officials who confirm the launch took place, but say it was part of ordinary drills.
The South Korean government kept quiet Thursday about media reports of a North Korean missile launch this week.
South Korean media quote unnamed officials as saying North Korea launched two short-range missiles Wednesday morning local time near its border with China. It is not clear if the launch was a test or a mistake.
South Korea - which has a policy of engaging the communist North as a way to better relations - is hesitant to publicly criticize Pyongyang.
But the reports drew a quick response from Washington. U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the reported launches are a source of concern.
"North Korea's missile program and activities are a threat, not only to the region, but the international community at large," he said. "We are working with our friends and allies in the region on deployment of active missile defenses."
North Korea test-fired a long-range missile over Japan in 1998 - alarming the international community. But Pyongyang has not conducted any medium- and long-range missile tests since. North Korea is also believed to be one of the world's largest exporters of missile technology.
In U.S. Senate testimony this week, the Commander of U.S. Forces in Korea, General Burwell Bell, warned North Korea has 200 mid-range missiles capable of reaching Japan. He said Pyongyang might have long-range missiles capable of reaching the continental U.S. within the decade.
The timing or purpose of this week's reported North Korean launch is not clear.
But Kim Tae-woo - an analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for Defense Analyses - says it was probably just part of regularly scheduled short-range missile drills.
"Even North Koreans themselves will believe that [this] is a minor thing and nobody will think it serious," said Kim. "If North Korea tested a large-size [long range] missile, that could be interpreted differently."
Kim says he and his colleagues are more concerned about newly emerging reports that North Korea may be selling long-range missile technology to Iran - which is also embroiled in a dispute with the international community over its nuclear programs.
"That development could be really serious," added Kim. "That could prompt a response from the U.S. If that is true, it is a really serious development."
This week's reported launch comes within 24 hours of Pyongyang's latest announcement that it will not return to multinational talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. Three years of negotiations have not produced any progress on the issue.
North Korea says it has nuclear weapons, but has never conducted a nuclear test. U.S. intelligence officials have expressed doubt Pyongyang has the technology to mount a nuclear device on a missile and fire it accurately. However, they fear North Korea may export nuclear and missile materials and technology to nations or groups hostile to the United States.

From Global Security.org

Golfs?

2006-03-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

There was a report from Global Security.org that said that North Korea might possibly possess a Golf-class SSK, who's missile tubes are still activated. The Foxtrot can carry two of the famous, but inaccurate, SCUDs. Here it is:

In January 1994 Russia signed a deal with North Korea to sell a total of 12 [initially reported as 10] Foxtrot-class (Project 641) conventional attack submarines and Golf II-class (Project 629) ballistic missile submarines. The basic design of the Golf submarine is based on the 641 Foxtrot, and the Foxtrot's electromechanical installation for surface and underwater navigation, the hydroacoustic system, the radar facilities and the radio communication systems were incorporated into the Golf without change.
The deal had been arranged by the Japanese trading company Toen Shioji. The submarines had been decommissioned from the Russian Navy in 1990. The Russian Navy insisted that the submarine's missile launch tubes were inactivated under Russian military observation.
In February 1994 pressure from the international community led Russia to halted the delivery of these submarines to North Korea. In April 2004 the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry [MITI] ask Russia send a special representative to North Korea to monitor the scrapping of the submarines.
As of May 1994 only one has been delivered to North Korea, by which time the issue faded from the headlines. At that time there were still conflicting reports as to whether the weapon systems had been removed from the submarines. It was not clear when North Korea took possession of all the submarines, though the deal seems to have been completed by the late 1990s.
The 12 submarines in question were reportedly rust-eaten and semi-submerged. But the submarines still had significant elements of missile system, including launch tubes and stabilization sub-systems. North Korea could nonetheless cannibalize the submarines for parts and insights to improve its own submarine and missile launch technology.
The the SS-N-4 Sark was the first Soviet submarine launched ballistic missile SLBM, a Scud-derivative originally deployed on the Golf submarines. At 15.5 meters in length, the Nodong-1 is one meter longer than the SS-N-4, and would not fit in an unmodified Golf launch tube. The modification may be a shortening of the missile, which would also shorten the range of the missile. It is not unreasonable to assume that North Korea may have had access to SLBM technology as the precursor to the SS-N-4, the R-11FM, was transferred to China in December 1959. China still uses the Golf-class submarine as an SLBM training and test platform. Additionally, it should be noted that the Russian scientists recruited in late 1992 were from the Makeyev Design Bureau, which is responsible for the design of all modern Russian SLBMs.
As of 2004 there were no reports of either Foxtrot or Golf submarines in North Korean service.
http://http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/s-golf.htm

Guerilla War My @$$

2006-02-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

For all of those who think North Korea can fend off UN Forces and ROK Forces with guerilla warfare, think twice:

Following Operation OH JAC KYO in July 1967 the Korean 9th and Capital
Divisions thwarted enemy intentions to go on the offensive in Phu Yen Province
by inflicting large troop and equipment losses primarily on the North Vietnamese
95th Regiment. Operation HONG KIL DONG alone accounted for 408 enemy killed and
a kill ratio of 15 to 1 between 9 and 31 July. By the time the operation was
terminated on 28 August, in order to provide security for the coming elections,
the total enemy killed had reached 638 and the kill ratio was 24 to 1. In
addition, some 98 crew-served and 359 individual weapons had been captured.
During 1968 the pattern of Korean operations did not change materially from
that of previous years; the Korean troops continued to engage in extensive small
unit actions, ambushes, and battalion and multi-battalion search and destroy
operations within or close to their tactical areas of responsibility. Over-all
these operations were quite successful. An analysis of an action by Korean
Capital Division forces during the period 2329 January 1968 clearly illustrates
the Korean technique. After contact with an enemy force near Phu Cat, the
Koreans "reacting swiftly . . . deployed six companies in an encircling maneuver
and trapped the enemy force in their cordon. The Korean troops gradually
tightened the circle, fighting the enemy during the day and maintaining their
tight cordon at night, thus preventing the enemy's escape. At the conclusion of
the sixth day of fighting, 278 NVA had been KIA with the loss of just 11
Koreans, a kill ratio of 25.3 to 1."
Later in 1968 a Korean 9th Division operation titled BAEK Ma 9 commenced on
11 October and ended on 4 November with 382 enemy soldiers killed and the North
Vietnamese 7th Battalion, 18th Regiment, rendered ineffective. During this
operation, on 25 October, the eighteenth anniversary of the division, 204 of the
enemy were killed without the loss of a single Korean soldier.
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/ch06.htm#b4

He would carry that pride in his heritage throughout an impressive and sometimes harrowing military tour. In Korea, he trained at ROK Ranger School, a nine-and-a-half-week program where the attrition rate was so high Americans are no longer allowed to take it.
http://www.tnwildside.org/stories.asp?Guide=Craig+Morgan

Many American operators consider some of the South Korean commando training even tougher than that found in American special operations schools. The Koreans have long had a tradition of toughness, and the concept of highly selective commando units who went through brutal training, had a lot of appeal in South Korea.
http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/howtomakewar/databases/commandos/commandos.asp

An Insurgency

2006-02-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

An insurgency could bring down the North Korean regime! North Korea has never displayed its ability to fight guerillas or insurgents. Maybe they don't need to learn, they know guerilla tactics themsleves. Let's look at Afghanistan. During the Soviet occupation, Mujahedin terrorized Soviet and Afghan forces. Using guerilla tactics, combined with support from the US and Pakistan, they succeded. Now Afghanistan is very mountainous, and so is North Korea. Light artillery pieces would be used like at Siachen glacier, the world's highest battlefield. Hleicopters need clear landing zones. Mountains don't have that kind of clear space. North Korean air support would be somewhat ineffective, seeing how most of their aircraft uses outdated equipment and carry light payloads. Armor would be ineffective too. They would be sitting ducks for handheld anti-tank missiles like RPGs or LAWs. The key element to stopping them from taking over positions is MANPADS. Man Portable Air Defense System. They were used by Mujahedin in the 80s and brought down Soviet helicopters and made Soviet bombing ineffective. They key here is the MANPADS and light weapons.

The KPAN

2006-02-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

North Korea holds the largest submarine force in the world........ made up of 60s era Soviet diesel submarines and midget submarines for covert operations. They hold 3 frigates...... from the 60s. They're equipped with anti-ship missiles....... from the 60s. The KPAN is like a floating antique. They have 2 submarine bases which hold a total of 24 combat submarines. One in the Sea of Japan, the other in the Yellow Sea. That means their submarine fleet will be taken out service within hours if war breaks out between them and South Korea. North Korean anti-ship missiles are sitting ducks for SAM systems. So what I'm trying to say is that the KPAN is not a threat. A blockade will completely immobilize North Korea's fleet. South Korea is just too advanced. They possess 10 destroyers, 18 frigates and 9 modern submarines. Not to mention the 100 or so littoral craft. The KPAN poses no threat. Ignore them.

Th Real Threat-North Korean Artillery

2006-02-15T15:49:00.000-08:00

The KPA keeps a lot of artillery. And when I mean a lot, I MEAN A WHOLE LOT! US intelligence estimates that North Korea holds a total of 10,000 artillery weapons, more than half of them can reach Seoul. This would cause thousands of dead civilians lying in the streets and mass destruction done to Seoul. Carpet bombing wouldn't entirely silence all of those guns. It would get rid of a whole hell of a lot, but there will still be some artillery they missed. South Korean intelligence says that it would take 3 days to completely silence KPA artillery! 3 days of constant bombardment! You can ignore those missiles they have, which would be shot down, their Air Force is in shambles, and the Navy...... well let's not go there. The KPA is made up of crude 60s Soviet tanks, aging and ineffective APCs and old artillery systems. It cannot match what South Korea has to offer, which includes the latest in tank, APC and artillery desgins. Obviously it seems that North Korea would want to do some damage before going down, and North Korean resistance after occupation would be tough. By then the US army would already have experience in urban warfare, and a program similar to the de-Nazification process that took place in WWII. When allied forces occupied Germany there was a 2-year resistance campaign led by Nazis, but it lost momentum after the de-Nazification process took place. So hopefully rhe same thing could happen in North Korea.

KPAF

2006-02-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

North Korea's Air Force is in shambles. It's newest plane was some 25 MiG-29A/UBs back in the 80s. No one knows if they are still flying though. But in March 2003 it was confirmd they were still flying after they intercepted a USAF Recon plane. In the first sentence of the article it says:

The North Korean air force is short of fuel and many of its planes are decades old, no match for the modern firepower of the U.S. military. http://http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030305-dprk-intercept01.htm

I think we can say that the KPAF doesn't get the right amount of flying time and lacks the flight hours of other nations. Now let's say a guerilla war is waged in North Korea. The MiG-29A/UBs couldn't carry guided bombs, and it's doubtful that North Korea has many. The only plane that the KPAF can truly launch a strike with is the Su-24 Frogfoot, a 60's era plane that can't match the payload of today's multi-role fighters. The thing that really concerns countries is that even though the MiG-29A/UB cannot not carry guided bombs, it does have a good payload and chemical and biological weapons won't have to be guided in order for it to effect Seoul. Biological and Chemical weapons also work well in counter-insurgency. So they must be protected! The key is to sabotaging railways and cut off the fuel that is going to the KPAF so after a month or so they'll be dry.

Liberation of North Korea

2006-02-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

This site is dedicated to the liberation fo North Korea and to bring down Kim Jong-il. We're not the usual, "Free Norht Korea in peacful fashion", website. We support a guerilla war in North Korea to bring liberty and freedom to the people. We'll be analyzing the North Korean military and leadership along with how the economy is doing there. Hopefully someone will read this and start the uprising!