From Yonhap:
At the State Department, spokesman Tom Casey called the tests "something North Koreans have done before." "It is what it is," he told reporters. "It’s not something that offers any particular change in the general picture. "North Korea early Friday launched what appear to be two short-range missiles, one toward the East Sea and the other in the opposite direction of the West Sea. The U.S. did not give detailed confirmation.
The timing was immediately questioned, as a stalemate drags on in implementing a six-nation denuclearization deal, signed by South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan. Under the agreement, Pyongyang was supposed to shut down its key nuclear facilities within 60 days, a deadline that passed on April 14 without any actions by the North. The implementation has been complicated by a dispute over how to release US$25 million in North Korea-related funds in Macau.
The timing of this probably has less to do the six party talks and more to do with the launching of the new highly advanced South Korean naval destroyer.Â
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1:26 am on May 27th, 2007 1
I may be missing something here. It isn’t my number one concern to study the DPRK, so forgive me if this seems overly simplistic.
The way I see it; there is nothing NK can do that will get the desired reaction, short of an attack on SK or Japan. I don’t believe NK will ever be taken seriously again unless it takes on a direct physical assult. This would seem unlikely, as the response to any such action would be a death blow to it.
I must therefore believe that America’s time as a useful peace maker in this area of the world has ended. Since SK seems to have joined NK in the viewing of America as a common enemy. If that is true, then America has better thinks to do.
Let the two brothers work it out on their own. The Cops have other concerns.
7:46 am on May 27th, 2007 2
The big overriding reason for a US presence in Korea as well as Japan is that the US presence has kept the peace in this corner of the world for over 50 years when the countries over there had been fighting each other for decades. Northeast Asia is the hub of global commerce right now. Any instability here would be felt economically around the world. The US military keeps the stability here possible. Remember this is an area of the world where countries are prepared to go to war over something as stupid as Dokdo.
Also the South Koreans don’t want us to leave. That is why the SK government keeps trying to stop the Camp Humphreys camp consolidation.
Once USFK is consolidated on Humphreys and Osan it will be a whole lot easier to deploy forces from the peninsula as well as drawing them down if needed. The overall force numbers are supposed to go down to about 25,000 once the move is done. Personally I wish the force level would go down to about 10,000. Big enough to keep influence and moderate behavior and small enough to keep a reduced footprint.
7:56 am on May 27th, 2007 3
[...] GI Korea asks who really cares about Pyongyang’s attempts at provocation. Perhaps Washington, particularly the Defense Department, is too worried about Taiwan and China (via The View from Taiwan). I sometimes wonder if the US underestimates China’s abilities, and the new links it is forging with the pro-China side in Taiwan….it is interesting that they chose to warn Beijing that it could lose its right to host the ‘08 Olympics—as if they know China is at this very moment contemplating an attack. I’ve speculated before what a Chinese attack might look like, and also that it might be sooner than anyone thinks. The “blunt warning” misses a key point: sanctions go both ways. While the US has been breaking its military and its treasury in its stupid and criminal failure in Iraq, China has been on the march all over the world. If the US intervenes, Chinese markets might be closed to it for years afterwards, and Chinese allies hostile to its interests. Here’s a sobering thought for the Pentagon: we are more hated than China at the moment, and given the manifest incompetence and venality of our President, this will only get worse. [...]
11:15 am on May 27th, 2007 4
[...] GI Korea asks who really cares about Pyongyang’s attempts at provocation. Perhaps Washington, particularly the Defense Department, is too worried about Taiwan and China (via The View from Taiwan). [...]
3:58 pm on May 27th, 2007 5
You are being over simplistic Dan, but you are also forgiven. The north has a bit more power than I think you perceive, and has successfully executed overt and covert acts of aggression for years without any toothy response from neither its neighbors nor its adversaries. When it comes to getting away with murder, north Korea is king.
People I’ve heard actually think this particular missile launch is not something “normal” but in response to the south launching some sort of new naval vessel. I have to say I am one of they who don’t care about this particular launch.
8:51 pm on May 27th, 2007 6
It is my belief the Koreans all are waiting for us to leave so they can team up and attack Japan with the help of China
2:34 am on May 28th, 2007 7
To continue my admitedly simplistic and greatfully forgiven outlook. I remember the sub insident in 97, I had just left after my second tour of three years. I know of many others.
I would be very happy with a max of 10,000 troops in Korea.
As to SK wanting the US to stay—-ya could have fooled me in 2002 when I was at Camp Stanley. The Riots in Seoul were something to see. Since we were restricted to no travel beyond the Ville, I only watched it at the Mustang Club’s TV. Mr Lee did the translation for me. President Roh, I was told got elected on the “I will make America go home” ticket.
me; I didn’t think about the Japan Issue. Surely Japan could be defended with the current American force stationed there. I don’t know the level of Anti-American feeling in Japan. I venture a guess that it isn’t as great as that of Korea. Korea is #1 in that I believe.
11:56 am on May 28th, 2007 8
NOTE: Whoever posted as “Richardson” above is not the Richardson of DPRK Studies, and I’d appreciate it if they chose another handle; this one is taken.