Sensible Erection | NK Shells Border

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

quote [ South Korea says it has returned fire after North Korea fired around 200 artillery shells at one of its border islands, reportedly killing one marine. ]

And so it begins? First half of the article in extended.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11818450 - The shelling, in pictures!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/9218848.stm - BBC Live on the crisis (Twitter style)

http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2010/11/23/will-north-korea%E2%80%99s-artillery-blast-the-global-economy/ - Will North Korea's artillery blast the global economy?

http://www.nk-news.net/extras/insult_generator.php - KCNA Random Insult Generator

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AL6FG20101122 - Analysis: N.Korea enrichment "worst nightmare" for U.S. intel; They have publicly revealed an ultra-modern enrichment facility, catching many of the world's best talking heads by surprise.

***
North Korean artillery hits South Korean island‎

South Korea says it has returned fire after North Korea fired around 200 artillery shells at one of its border islands, reportedly killing one marine.

The South's military was placed on its highest non-wartime alert after the shells landed on Yeonpyeong island.

North Korea has not yet commented on the incident, in which three marines and four civilians were also injured.

Analysts say this is one of the most serious clashes since the Korean War ended without a peace treaty in 1953.

There have been occasional cross-border clashes since, but the latest incident comes at a time of rising regional tension.

And on Saturday, North Korea showed off what it claimed was a new uranium enrichment facility - potentially giving it a second route to a nuclear weapon.

The move prompted the US special representative for North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, to rule out the resumption of six-party talks on nuclear disarmament that Pyongyang abandoned two years ago.

South Korean presidential spokesman Kim Hee-jung also said it was investigating a possible link between the artillery attack and a major military exercise near the western sea border which began on Monday.

It also comes just over a month after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, was appointed to senior political and military posts, fuelling speculation that he was being prepared to succeed him.

[politics] [by nbob@9:00amGMT] [+10 Informative]

Comments

pleaides said @ 9:08am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Insightful]
Glad I did a last check before posting :)

Tirade said @ 3:00pm GMT on 23rd Nov
SE's pretty forgiving about simultaneous posts. Just not reposts. I learned that one the hard way. :P

Ankylosaur said @ 9:25am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:5 Funny]

blackpsypher said @ 10:33am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:2 Funny]
Oh sweet Jesus. With the impending death of DADT on the horizon, God only knows what Clinger's gonna do to get his section 8.

cb361 said @ 10:55am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:2 Funny]
Suicide girls are easy...

lilmookieesquire said @ 1:45pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Well played.

cb361 said @ 3:58pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Robert Altman said that his son earned more than a million US dollars for co-writing the song while he only made US $70,000 for directing the movie.

lilmookieesquire said @ 10:07pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I know. The kid was freaking 14! I'm pretty sure that's why you can't even shit it a company toilet without people getting in line to demand rights for it these days.

JOECAM said @ 5:11pm GMT on 23rd Nov

RedRiverRat said @ 5:26pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:2 Funny]
Seoul shoots sea shells at the sea shore says spokesman.

RedRiverRat said @ 5:29pm GMT on 23rd Nov
wish we could edit comments... sigh...

Now with mo better

South shoots sea shells at the sea shore says Seoul

aliron said @ 9:30am GMT on 23rd Nov
Aw crap.

spazm said @ 9:37am GMT on 23rd Nov
There we go. Again.

ENZ said @ 9:40am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Insightful]
This was going to happen sooner or later. Ole' Jimmy is getting on in the years. He's the kind of tyrannical child that would think "if I can't have it then no one can! He doesn't care what happens to his people, if he's not around to be the Great Leader, then there is no North Korea as far as he's concerned. Might has well go out with one big hoorah. That way people are sure to be talking about him for generations to come.

the circus said @ 6:50pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Après moi, le déluge.

G. W. Bush said @ 9:52am GMT on 23rd Nov
Someone fucking shoot that gook before he does worse.

underdog said @ 10:03am GMT on 23rd Nov
We might as well get all the niggers and faggots while we're at it. How about the kikes? They've been getting kinda uppity lately.

Seneki69 said @ 10:14am GMT on 23rd Nov
I guess I'll just have a coke then...

blackpsypher said @ 10:25am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:2 Funny]
...and let's not forget the spics, the chinks, the rag-heads, the crackers and the....no wait....aw fuck.

BradleyOnetooth said @ 10:13pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Whoa there, boy. You can kill some of the crackers, just not all of them. It's okay to kill the frogs, micks, limeys, and dego's.

robotroadkill said @ 11:26am GMT on 23rd Nov
Arguing for the assassination of one crazy person with a dangerous amount of power is not comparable to proposing genocide, even if a racial slur is used.

underdog said @ 2:47pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Too drunk and tired to argue. And I might get some if I play my cards right. Details at nine.

underdog said @ 2:51pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Apologies for starting a sentence with a preposition. My mind is elsewhere.

MelloHippo said @ 5:21pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Funny]
For shame!

Ankylosaur said @ 10:51am GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Insightful]

KropperPrime said @ 2:30pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Which one?

They all look the same.

conception said @ 4:31pm GMT on 23rd Nov
http://alllooksame.com/

G. W. Bush said @ 6:06pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I know right, you send a sniper in hes lost in a sea of gookness!

Tang said @ 11:30am GMT on 23rd Nov
my father just passed away a couple of weeks ago due to a massive heart attack and my girl just moved back home she lives in south korea and is korean her family is also quite lovely.
i really don't need this right now.

lilmookieesquire said @ 11:51am GMT on 23rd Nov
:(
Rough week. Hang in there.

KropperPrime said @ 2:31pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Interesting]
I offer you this non-trollish comment as support.

valen85 said @ 6:03pm GMT on 24th Nov
Have a bowl of jap chae.

lilmookieesquire said @ 11:49am GMT on 23rd Nov
North Korea loves the foreplay.

KingPellinore said @ 12:03pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I guess someone was feeling ronery.

danshyu said @ 12:23pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Oh boy, here we go.

swiggy said @ 12:30pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Here's hoping North Korea finally flip shits and start attacking South Korea in earnest.

And then, immediately after that, let everyone on the planet collectively kick north korea's ass, then fly in some food, porn, and mine disposal teams to help recover that horrifying, famine-ridden mess of a country.

cb361 said @ 4:17pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I had similar sentiments about Iraq, before the balloon went up. That no sane person could start a war, but if we did, well, at least afterwards things would be better for the Iraqi people without Saddam.

I don't feel very proud of that, now.

And if it was all as simple as "kicking North Korea's ass", it would have been squished years ago. The regime has survived into the modern age by making themselves incredibly ugly to deal with, but not quite so obnoxious that anybody wants to put themselves through it. Because if war does happen, it'll be the worst thing we've seen for a long time.

maryyugo said @ 4:50pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Exactly

jerkdine said @ 4:59pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Agreed! I don't see them going quietly, this war could involve nukes and a lot of people dieing.

The only good thing is that north korean is 120,540 km2 and Iraq is 437,072 km2 which would make if a little easier to secure the whole country if we could get enough countries involved.

RedRiverRat said @ 5:11pm GMT on 23rd Nov
KJI is no Sadam, he won't go without a fight and get found in a hole somewhere.

North Korea has a populace that is indoctrinated to serve the Glorious Leader from birth. These are people who would rather starve to death than rise against their government.

Their Military is currently ranked in the top 20 in the world (No idea what their BCS ranking is) and btw, they have nukes.

From GlobalFirepower.com

PERSONNEL
Total Population: 23,479,088 [2008]
Population Available: 12,414,017 [2008]
Fit for Military Service: 10,280,687 [2008]
Reaching Military Age Annually: 392,016 [2008]
Active Military Personnel: 1,170,000 [2008]
Active Military Reserve: 4,700,000 [2008]
Active Paramilitary Units: 189,000 [2008]

ARMY
Total Land-Based Weapons: 16,400
Tanks: 3,500 [2006]
Armored Personnel Carriers: 2,500 [2006]
Towed Artillery: 3,500 [2006]
Self-Propelled Guns: 4,400 [2006]
Multiple Rocket Launch Systems: 2,500 [2006]
Mortars: 7,500 [2006]
Anti-Aircraft Weapons: 11,000 [2006]

AIR FORCE
Total Aircraft: 1,778 [2006]
Helicopters: 612 [2006]
Serviceable Airports: 77 [2007]

NAVY
Total Navy Ships: 708
Merchant Marine Strength: 167 [2008]
Major Ports and Harbors: 12
Aircraft Carriers: 0 [2008]
Destroyers: 0 [2008]
Submarines: 97 [2008]
Frigates: 3 [2006]
Patrol & Coastal Craft: 492 [2006]
Mine Warfare Craft: 23 [2006]
Amphibious Craft: 140 [2006]

feeling constipated said @ 5:33pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:2]
If goose stepping is any indication of military prowess, watch out.

RedRiverRat said @ 5:46pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Informative]
Long NatGeo video to get you up to speed on North Korea if you don't know the details.

Supreme_Coconut said @ 10:17pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I love that song.

King of the Hill said @ 10:43pm GMT on 23rd Nov
How much of it actually works? That is the question.

f00m@nB@r said @ 1:09am GMT on 24th Nov
apparently, enough to sink a ship and shell a small island.

profetscott said @ 5:13pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Korean Peninsula is a little more mountainous than Irag. Not quite Afghanistan, but not open country either

Krutz said @ 12:48pm GMT on 23rd Nov
200 shells to kill one marine?

Either one side has amazingly tough soldiers or the other is a really lousy shot.

bathoz said @ 12:49pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Or bunkers.

theolypse said @ 1:00pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Crazy motherfucker gonna get his whole country set on fire.

BlutStein1984 said @ 2:20pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Funny]
Oh boy, another Police Action! Does this mean we get to help more people become free like us?

structured_spirits said @ 3:39pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Only if we're stupid enough to get involved with other countries business... so yeah I guess so.

maryyugo said @ 4:52pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:-1 Bad]
Such a bummer we got involved in stopping the Nazis and the Japanese in WW2. Should've overlooked Pearl Harbor.

Krutz said @ 6:01pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Are you seriously trying to compare WWII to what we did in Vietnam, Central America, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea (the first time), and all the fun-time countries that wound up under dictators that were once on the CIA payroll?

What kind of grades did you get in Social Studies?

f00m@nB@r said @ 1:09am GMT on 24th Nov
"social" and maryyugo don't mix, if you couldn't already tell.

mrklipp said @ 6:05pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Yeah, um, once the other countries attack you, it's no longer considered getting involved in other people's business.

I think you'll find that not a lot of people have a problem with that, it's all the countries where we go start shit ourselves that are the issue.

KropperPrime said @ 2:28pm GMT on 23rd Nov
This simply means there is a political shift inside NK and they want to distract citizens away from things that should not concern them according to the ruling elite.

It's easy to fool a bunch of uneducated patriotic fools.

The US is very good at that too, but instead of shelling a neighbor, they focus on a president's dick or something.

flat_michael said @ 9:11pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Interesting]
what's this about obama's boner?

Ankylosaur said @ 11:27pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Apparently we should focus on shelling it.

structured_spirits said @ 11:33pm GMT on 23rd Nov
he prefers that it be pronounced bhay-ner.

structured_spirits said @ 2:37pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Technically, the Korean War never ended, they signed an armistice, but never agreed to end the war.

spazm said @ 2:49pm GMT on 23rd Nov [Score:1 Funny]
Ah well, that makes it all alright then.

If anyone's looking for me, I'll be sound asleep.

pishiver said @ 4:11pm GMT on 23rd Nov
We shouldn't send any (extra) troops. Lets just send a few friendly taps on NK's shoulder in the form of conventional cruise missiles aimed directly at the presidential palace. Show 'em what we're perfectly capable of, yet showing restraint. Teach 'em not to fuck with our starcraft-loving little buddies.

Krutz said @ 4:34pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't most motherboards and LCD flat panels made in South Korea?

How fucked would we be if that stuff went off-line for even a year?

Ankylosaur said @ 4:42pm GMT on 23rd Nov
My god, we would have to make do with year-old electronics!

maryyugo said @ 4:50pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Worse yet, we wouldn't get Kia automobiles. Oh...

Krutz said @ 6:04pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Well, yes. And there would be no replacement parts forthcoming. Prices would increase in an already down economy, and I don't know about you, but I need computer equipment (preferably cheap) to make a living.

Spleen23 said @ 6:47pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Oh noes, someone might have to start a company in america that make those things.
Thousands of american will end up with jobs.
A bunch of money will stay in the american economy instead of being spent overseas and staying there.
The horror, the horror.

Krutz said @ 7:06pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Right; As opposed to relocating to China or another Asian country? And even then, how long do you think it'll take to get things up and running again?

I don't think you understand just what it would mean to lose that capacity in one go, especially in the current state of affairs.

Hugh_Janus said @ 11:02pm GMT on 23rd Nov
You sarcasm (touched with truth) makes me laugh.

foobar said @ 1:46am GMT on 24th Nov
Yeah, if you want to pay $50,000 for your monitor.

bluecalx said @ 4:44pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Not very fucked since most people already have those items.

jerkdine said @ 4:53pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Dear God Man! We might dare I say.. have to use the same computer that we bought a year before.. consumerism might come to a slow down causing people to actually save money as oppose to spend ever dime they earn!

Who cares, I hope that does end... I'll stick with no cable and my old fashioned free laptop.

Krutz said @ 6:03pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Apparently I'm one of the only people here who remembers what an earthquake in Taiwan did to the price of RAM several years ago.

I'm not saying that's the most important thing out there, but you'd have a more difficult time getting another "free" laptop or replacement parts if it went on the fritz.

My point is that our world does run on this stuff, and that area of the globe is where it comes from.

danshyu said @ 2:19am GMT on 25th Nov
LCD panels? Yeah, not motherboard and many other computer components, though. Taiwan still dominate in that department and most of their manufacturing plants are in mainland China.

piginspace said @ 5:05pm GMT on 23rd Nov
May be I'm stoopid... but why is everybody taking this stuff seriously? Aren't they doing this shit like, all the time?
I'm not sure this shelling is that much worse than torpedoing that SK navy ship that happened fairly recently (a couple of dozen sailors died in that one too).
Crazy-ass provocations is North Korea's main export; their economy is running on this shit, and on endless negotiations with the West just like Saudi Arabia is running on oil.
Of course his gig is only working for as long as they keep reminding the West that they are bat shit insane, dangerous and unpredictable. Then they can continue negotiating, and milking the Western countries for humanitarian aid in the process.

It does help, a lot, to demonstrate to the West an "amazingly high-tech enrichment facility". This is some seriously scary shit. But this may have a counterproductive side effect. It may get them imperialist dogs to start a-thinking: "wow, this is some high-tech shit here. maybe these people aren't that crazy after all? They must actually be pretty smart, capable of rational thinking and planning... Maybe they will eventually calm down and become quasi-civilized and predictable, just like the Soviets and Chinese in the past?..." And the thing is, you don't want them white monkeys to start having stupid thoughts like that!
So first you scare the shit out of them with your nerd-core centrifuges... But the next day you remind them that you can still be old school thuggish and scary, with a barrage of your antique, 1940-s Soviet artillery... or by just sending a wave of suicidal attackers armed with nothing but old rusty wrenches. And the show goes on...

RedRiverRat said @ 5:18pm GMT on 23rd Nov
People should take it seriously when South Korea's President says this:

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Hours after North Korea's deadly artillery attacks Tuesday, South Korea's president said "enormous retaliation" is needed to stop Pyongyang's incitement, but international diplomats urgently appealed for restraint.

"The provocation this time can be regarded as an invasion of South Korean territory," President Lee Myung-bak said at the headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Remember, there was never an official end to the Korean War, just an Armistice that has been at best uneasy ever since.

Also, KJI is rumored to be sick and possibly dying so he may want to go out with a bang that he won't have to personally suffer any consequences for. OR, it could be the son trying to ramp up the crazy and make a name for himself.

If NK bum-rushes SK with a million screaming fanatics the question would soon be: is SK willing to kill a million people?

sanepride said @ 5:22pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Some mighty strong language coming from the South makes this noteworthy. They're talking serious retaliation - that's the difference.

But the big difference from Korean War part 1 is NK cannot count of China saving their shit this time. Looks like both SK and China may have finally had enough of the crazy.

piginspace said @ 5:38pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Well, another big difference is that the North most likely has a few deployable nukes by now. And they've been slashing prices non-stop down at Crazy Ivan's Fissiles and Missiles Shack lately...

graham said @ 5:36pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I've got enough shit going on in my life right now that I don't need a fucking world war to deal with.

What a selfish prick.

named i said @ 9:53pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Nothing's gonna happen... This is the most prepared-for war in history, hence, it will not happen. Taiwan will probably hold some more war games, because they feel left out.

King of the Hill said @ 10:45pm GMT on 23rd Nov
Awe come on Grahamie! We all know a world war is what we all need to save our economies!

f00m@nB@r said @ 1:07am GMT on 24th Nov
it'll definitely push a lot of "mil spec" tough notebook computers with 600% markups.

Hugh_Janus said @ 11:04pm GMT on 23rd Nov
I spent 5 years over there in the early 90's. 1st Tank!! When shit like this happens the whole country goes on alert. It is awe inspiring. My wife has family there and would hate to see a war actually kick off, but with NK get pissier and pissier I see something happening before I die.

captainstubing said @ 7:34am GMT on 24th Nov
How's your health?

Baron said @ 3:00am GMT on 24th Nov
Why can't they both get along?

I mean North Canada and South Canada have gotten along great!

theluckysean said @ 3:23am GMT on 24th Nov
That 's what North Canada wants you to think!

Bob Denver said @ 8:02am GMT on 24th Nov
Yes, we try to lull you into a true sense of security...

graham said @ 5:26pm GMT on 24th Nov
Don't you talk about those fucking Torontonians in front of me.

Son_of_Sagan said @ 4:55am GMT on 25th Nov
If anyone can get their hands on a copy, I recomend Gavin McCormack's book 'Target North Korea' for some really good insights in to why North Korea seems to act in such an irrational manner all the time.
His basic thesis is that it is wrong to call the North crazy or irrational, but rather that they have adept at using unconventional means of diplomacy to both get economic concessions from other countries and shore up support at home.