We’re in deep doo-doo.Dick Cheney, in a closed-door meeting with congressional Republicans, on the situation in North Korea. Cheney may be right, but his credibility is undermined both by his own record of assessing foreign threats and, perhaps more significantly, the fact that he used the word “doo-doo” to describe the prospect of nuclear war. He gets points, however, for reportedly wearing a cowboy hat to the meeting. source
knivesandcoffee asks: But isn't that graphic useless without some context? I mean what is the size of North Korea's military compared to the South or to the US?
» SFB says: I think that’s a fair point (and it’s one a lot of people in the comments on that link have raised), but I think it also shows that the country has enough firepower that it could do something. As the article itself puts it: “While North Korean arms are mostly antiquated, much of it dating back half a century, what they lack in modernity they make up for in both volume and location.” Now, whether or not the graphic was particularly useful because it was designed to be never-ending is another question entirely (it could use some compare/contrast), but just because the size of the military may perhaps be smaller than the United States or South Korea, if they’re the first to launch an attack, does it really matter? — Ernie @ SFB
“A representative of the North Korean foreign ministry suggested that the Russian side examine the question of evacuating the employees of the Russian embassy,” embassy spokesman Denis Samsonov said.
…
A spokesman from the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed embassies other than Russia had received the same warning. ”We can confirm that the British Embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning.”
“[The warning] said that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10.”
All bark and no bite? While conventional wisdom is that this is just more toothless blustering by the DPRK, Pyongyang has certainly gone farther this time with its rhetoric than in the past, causing us to—at the very least—question the conventional wisdom. That being said, we still don’t think anything major will come of this. By the way, if you’re still confused as to why North Korea is doing this, NKNews.org has a great round up of expert opinions on the matter.
I think the individuals in North Korea understand that Austin, Texas, is now a very important city in America, as do corporate CEOs and other people who are moving here in record numbers.Texas Governor Rick Perry, explaining his theory on why Kim Jong-un listed Austin, TX as a possible target for a nuclear strike. source
‘Time has come’: North Korea readies rockets
(Photo: Jon Chol Jin / AP)
Isolated and impoverished nation is “not a paper tiger” and its repeated attack threats should not be dismissed as mere bluster, a U.S. official warns.
So yeah, this sounds promising.
A first for Disney: Classic Disney characters performed on North Korean stages for the first time ever this weekend. The country’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, has a “grandiose plan to bring about a dramatic turn in the field of literature and arts this year,” according to the KCNA. The performance featured performers dancing around while dressed as Minnie Mouse, Tigger and other characters as footage from Disney movies were projected onto the backdrop.
No free rides: North Korean president Kim Jong-un issued a rare public condemnation today of—wait for it—a North Korean amusement park. According to a South Korean report, Lil’ Kim visited the Mangyongdae Funfair recently, and was none too pleased with its upkeep. He called a path in front of a Viking ride “pathetic” and, upon spotting errant weeds growing in between pavement blocks, bent down and plucked them out himself (with “an irritated look” on his face, no less). He also showed his philosophical side, citing a proverb (“The darkest place is under the candlestick”) to illustrate the park’s poor condition. Analysts suspect it’s an attempt to portray Kim as a strong leader who cares for the good of his people, and we are 100% positive that this will work. (Photo: AP) source
North Korea’s army vows to turn Seoul to ashes
North Korea’s military Monday threatened “special actions” soon to turn parts of the South Korean capital to ashes, accusing Seoul’s conservative government of defaming its leadership.
The North has for months been criticizing the South’s President Lee Myung-Bak in extreme terms and threatening “sacred war” over perceived insults.
“The special actions of our revolutionary armed forces will start soon to meet the reckless challenge of the group of traitors,” said a statement on the official news agency. (Photo: KCNA/REUTERS)
Guess the band isn’t changing styles despite having a new frontman.
Obama to North Korea: Don’t launch that rocket, guys: “Bad behavior will not be rewarded,” Obama said after speaking to South Korean leader Lee Myung-bak, right. North Korea plans to launch a long-range rocket next month to remember the 100th birthday of its founder, Kim Il-sung. source
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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» Significant, if “limited”: This result came after a set of talks last week that initially did not seem to go well, but later proved be palatable for the North Koreans. The two countries previously were close to some sort of deal before Kim Jong-il’s death, but the latest development seems to have gone over. “The United States still has profound concerns regarding North Korean behavior across a wide range of areas,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, ”but today’s announcement reflects important, if limited, progress in addressing some of these.”
South Korea’s traitor puppet regime must recognize the seriousness of the situation and immediately stop anti-(North Korea) psychological warfare.A message from Korean Central News Agency • Which also happens to threaten gunfire at South Korea if they do that annual joint drill thing they tend to do with the United States. No, this story is not a repeat of every other time South Korea done this joint drill thing with the United States. It’s a new story. We even double-checked it and the timestamp says it was published like an hour ago. So we don’t know. In other news, we’re going to call our new pet gerbil “Traitor Puppet Regime.” It has a nice ring to it. source (via • follow)
» Why this is a big deal (kinda): The boat crossed the border at the point where North Korea shelled a contested South Korean island a few months ago. The people on the boat, 11 men and 20 women, are being questioned, but there’s no sign that they’re defecting from their country.
Let’s say you’re South Korea. North of you is one of the world’s most volatile countries, North Korea, and they’re your sworn enemy. West of you is China, the 900-pound gorilla of Asia. Now, let’s say you’re the president of South Korea, like this guy in the middle here, Lee Myung-bak. How do you handle this situation in such a way as to anger both of them at once? Here’s how – bring up plans to unify the two Koreas. Could you guys at least wait until Kim Jong-il is dead and his frumpy kid who skated into the job is the leader? You know they have the bomb, right? source
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