Will North Korea take their American Frustrations Out on the South?
DL Ennis
October 11, 2006
With tougher sanctions hanging over the heads of North Korean’s—over its nuclear test—Pyongyang warned today that it will regard increased pressure from the United States as a “declaration of war” that will be met with “physical measures.”
This comes a day after the United States gained vital support from China. Even though China is North Korea’s closest ally, they have agreed to support punitive sanctions in response to Sunday’s blast, although not essentially the measures the Bush administration is seeking.
In a statement carried by the official North Korean news agency, the country’s foreign ministry declared today that “if the U.S. keeps pestering us and increases the pressure, we will regard it as a declaration of war and will take a series of physical corresponding measures.”
North Korean’s number two leader, Kim Yong Nam, told a Japanese news agency that president of the Presidium of the North’s legislature, that a continued “hostile attitude” on the part of Washington could prompt more nuclear tests.
If the United States continues to take a hostile attitude and apply pressure on us in various forms, we will have no choice but to take physical steps to deal with that,” he said.
Today, Japan has said it will impose new and tougher sanctions against North Korea in response to the North's claim of Sunday’s nuclear test.
Japan’s new and tougher measures will include banning all North Korean imports and stopping its ships entering Japanese waters, a government spokesman said.
Japan will also back US-led efforts to get the UN to impose separate sanctions against the North.
In Seoul, President Roh Moo Hyun told the South Koreans to brace themselves for a “prolonged” confrontation with North Korea.
This is important because it is a definite way for North Koreans to pull the US into a conflict. North Korean doesn’t really have a military capable of bringing a war to the US but they do to South Korea.
In 1990-91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the DMZ, which increased its initial southward reach and decreased warning and reaction times for Seoul.
More than 420 fighters, bombers, transport planes, and helicopters were redeployed in October 1995, with more than 100 aircraft were moved forward to three air bases near the DMZ. More than 20 Il-28 bombers were moved to Taetan which shortened their arrival time to Seoul from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. Over 80 MiG-17s redeployed to Nuchonri and Kuupri are able to attack Seoul in 6 minutes.
According to South Korean estimates, these redeployments suggested that North Korea intends to make a first strike with outdated MiG-17s and the second strike with primary fighters such as MiG-21s and Su-25s.
The North Korean Navy is the most secretive navy in the world. Determining the state of their fleet is exceptionally difficult. However it is known that it could be very effective against the south.
Most North Korean combat vessels, such as light destroyers, patrol ships, guided missile boats, torpedo boats, and fire support boats are small. Some 40 guided missile boats pose a substantial threat; they have the capability of launching missile attacks against large vessels and are equipped with two to four 46-km-range Styx anti-ship missiles. At present, over 60% of North Korean combat vessels are deployed in forward bases.
Approximately 60 percent of the North Korean naval force is deployed close to the front line area. They include 430 combat vessels, such as patrol boats, missile boats, torpedo boats and fire support vessels, 35 submarines including 9 small ones, and 335 supporting vessels such as landing ships and air cushion vessels. Support vessels are composed of amphibious vessels including personnel landing craft, landing craft air cushion (LCAC), surface patrol boats and mine countermeasure vessels. These support vessels, however, have a limited role in long-distance operations.
Continuing to build attack warships, North Korea has tried to enhance its naval capabilities through developing new ground-to-sea missile systems, such as extending the striking range of the Silkworm missiles. North Korea also deploys 80-95 km-range ground-to-ship Samlet and Silkworm missiles on both east and west coasts. Silkworm missiles, deployed in the forward area, are able to launch anti-ship attacks as far as Tokjok-do in the Yellow Sea and Sokcho and Yangyang on the east coast. Coastal defense artillery includes 122-mm, 130-mm, and 152-mm systems.
Above quotes from:
New York Times"North Korea Warns Against Tougher Sanctions"
By CHOE SANG-HUN and THOM SHANKER
Published: October 11, 2006
BBC"Japan announces N Korea sanctions"
This comes a day after the United States gained vital support from China. Even though China is North Korea’s closest ally, they have agreed to support punitive sanctions in response to Sunday’s blast, although not essentially the measures the Bush administration is seeking.
In a statement carried by the official North Korean news agency, the country’s foreign ministry declared today that “if the U.S. keeps pestering us and increases the pressure, we will regard it as a declaration of war and will take a series of physical corresponding measures.”
North Korean’s number two leader, Kim Yong Nam, told a Japanese news agency that president of the Presidium of the North’s legislature, that a continued “hostile attitude” on the part of Washington could prompt more nuclear tests.
If the United States continues to take a hostile attitude and apply pressure on us in various forms, we will have no choice but to take physical steps to deal with that,” he said.
Today, Japan has said it will impose new and tougher sanctions against North Korea in response to the North's claim of Sunday’s nuclear test.
Japan’s new and tougher measures will include banning all North Korean imports and stopping its ships entering Japanese waters, a government spokesman said.
Japan will also back US-led efforts to get the UN to impose separate sanctions against the North.
In Seoul, President Roh Moo Hyun told the South Koreans to brace themselves for a “prolonged” confrontation with North Korea.
This is important because it is a definite way for North Koreans to pull the US into a conflict. North Korean doesn’t really have a military capable of bringing a war to the US but they do to South Korea.
In 1990-91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the DMZ, which increased its initial southward reach and decreased warning and reaction times for Seoul.
More than 420 fighters, bombers, transport planes, and helicopters were redeployed in October 1995, with more than 100 aircraft were moved forward to three air bases near the DMZ. More than 20 Il-28 bombers were moved to Taetan which shortened their arrival time to Seoul from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. Over 80 MiG-17s redeployed to Nuchonri and Kuupri are able to attack Seoul in 6 minutes.
According to South Korean estimates, these redeployments suggested that North Korea intends to make a first strike with outdated MiG-17s and the second strike with primary fighters such as MiG-21s and Su-25s.
The North Korean Navy is the most secretive navy in the world. Determining the state of their fleet is exceptionally difficult. However it is known that it could be very effective against the south.
Most North Korean combat vessels, such as light destroyers, patrol ships, guided missile boats, torpedo boats, and fire support boats are small. Some 40 guided missile boats pose a substantial threat; they have the capability of launching missile attacks against large vessels and are equipped with two to four 46-km-range Styx anti-ship missiles. At present, over 60% of North Korean combat vessels are deployed in forward bases.
Approximately 60 percent of the North Korean naval force is deployed close to the front line area. They include 430 combat vessels, such as patrol boats, missile boats, torpedo boats and fire support vessels, 35 submarines including 9 small ones, and 335 supporting vessels such as landing ships and air cushion vessels. Support vessels are composed of amphibious vessels including personnel landing craft, landing craft air cushion (LCAC), surface patrol boats and mine countermeasure vessels. These support vessels, however, have a limited role in long-distance operations.
Continuing to build attack warships, North Korea has tried to enhance its naval capabilities through developing new ground-to-sea missile systems, such as extending the striking range of the Silkworm missiles. North Korea also deploys 80-95 km-range ground-to-ship Samlet and Silkworm missiles on both east and west coasts. Silkworm missiles, deployed in the forward area, are able to launch anti-ship attacks as far as Tokjok-do in the Yellow Sea and Sokcho and Yangyang on the east coast. Coastal defense artillery includes 122-mm, 130-mm, and 152-mm systems.
Above quotes from:
New York Times"North Korea Warns Against Tougher Sanctions"
By CHOE SANG-HUN and THOM SHANKER
Published: October 11, 2006
BBC"Japan announces N Korea sanctions"
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