North Korea: When Internet Trolls Get Nukes

[JasonPratt]

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday vowed to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States, amplifying its threatening rhetoric hours ahead of a vote by U.N. diplomats on whether to level new sanctions against Pyongyang for its recent nuclear test.

"If you don't stop trying to stop our completely peaceful nuclear tests by which we hope to feed our country, we will destroy your country with our nukes, US! Waaahh! PS, stop sending your fascist mutant grasshoppers to eat our grain, too."

I guess since they can't stop the sanctions from going through, or stop them after they've gone through, they might as well get a little use out of their ICBM pipe dreams.

(I gather they aren't really serious about using what little nuke capability they already have, or they'd be threatening to lob it into Seoul by artillery or rockets or maybe by suicide bomber.)

[LongBlade]

Heh. Nice Disney reference :)

[bayonetbrant]

[Boggit]

Kim Jong-un seems delusional to pick a fight with the US and particularly so since China is distancing itself from him. His rejection of the non-aggression pact with South Korea is alarming, but we have been here before. I suspect Brant's cartoon really says it all. Picking a fight and threatening a country like the US with nuclear weapons seems lunacy. Scarily, the North Koreans don't seem to think along the rational lines elsewhere in the world and who knows what will come of this. The only reservation I have is not to underestimate the enemy. If Al-Quada can do the Two Towers, then is it not possible that North Korea could get a nuclear bomb smuggled or covertly delivered into the US? Whilst the US would leave North Korea a glowing ruin in return, I'd be horrified if US citizens were killed by a covert nuclear blast.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9917155/North-Korea-says-prepare-for-war-following-fresh-UN-sanctions.html

[eyebiter]

[Boggit]

Reading further on the matter http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/08/world/asia/north-korea-sanctions/index.html I'm just wondering whether the new sanctions are likely to be so effective that North Korea will be forced to change their militaristic culture? If so, then this outburst is either going to be NK's last posturing hurrah, or they'll actually go ahead with some Pearl Harbor style surprise attack regardless of the obvious consequences? What do y'all think?

[eyebiter]

This is a manufactured crisis by China.  Last few years they have been rattling the saber across the South China sea.  Most recently with Vietnam, Philippines, and Japan. 

Now with the Norks are acting wild, China has the opportunity to act as the regional peacemaker. 

If the Chinese can defuse this crisis they gain prestige in Asia, and both the US and South Korea will "owe them one" for keeping North Korea in check.

[Boggit]

This is a manufactured crisis by China.  Last few years they have been rattling the saber across the South China sea.  Most recently with Vietnam, Philippines, and Japan. 

Now with the Norks are acting wild, China has the opportunity to act as the regional peacemaker. 

If the Chinese can defuse this crisis they gain prestige in Asia, and both the US and South Korea will "owe them one" for keeping North Korea in check.

A very good point. We are seeing China transition from a regional super power to one perhaps with more global ambition. Your view makes a lot of sense.

[besilarius]

Personally, I have little faith in our port security apparatus to stop a nuke, if it is shipped in by container ship.
Only a fraction of the containers on each ship are carefully and thoroughly checked.  With a little camouflage, you put a nuke in a large locker, and it gets into a US port.
Much cheaper than those silly old ICBMs.

[Boggit]

Personally, I have little faith in our port security apparatus to stop a nuke, if it is shipped in by container ship.
Only a fraction of the containers on each ship are carefully and thoroughly checked.  With a little camouflage, you put a nuke in a large locker, and it gets into a US port.
Much cheaper than those silly old ICBMs.

This would be my greatest concern. I begs the question as to whether the US should respond decisively and pre-emptively on the basis of a statement of intended attack, or weather the storm and call the bluff. A bit of a nuclear poker game - not a nice thought at all.

[LongBlade]

Personally, I have little faith in our port security apparatus to stop a nuke, if it is shipped in by container ship.
Only a fraction of the containers on each ship are carefully and thoroughly checked.  With a little camouflage, you put a nuke in a large locker, and it gets into a US port.
Much cheaper than those silly old ICBMs.

There are more checks than you think.

It's not foolproof, but there's more going on than just playing catcher to all those incoming containers.

[JasonPratt]

Here's an unsettling thought: how close does a nuke really have to get in a cargo ship to a harbor anyway?

Or ten nukes?


And while I'd certainly grieve over the loss of American (or some other country's) life attacked by the Norks, I'd grieve over the utter crushing of North Korea to follow, too. Yes, I know, it would have to be done, not disputing that. Still, people have souls wherever they are; and however careful we are people (and lots and lots of people in this case) would get in the way who shouldn't have to pay for the crimes of their leaders.

[LongBlade]

Depends.

Were I you I wouldn't go looking too closely for an answer on that ;)

[Longdan]

Nope ya don't wanna look at that.   Anyway the Norks are upwind of Japan and downwind of China.
That is something to bear in mind.  I have said before we fought them before and it did not work
out very well... since they are still there.  My Dad told me they are ridiculously hard to kill.

[Boggit]

My Dad told me they are ridiculously hard to kill.

You make them sound like the Tehran rats in the Rats vs Snipers thread. Have they mutated into Super Norks? ;D