Tensions high after North, South Korea trade shelling

North Korea sure has a strange way of announcing the start of the Christmas shopping season...

Yowza! I hope those wounded pull through okay, and everyone could evacuate safely from the island.

This lunacy will end in a serious war.

S Korea & U.S.A. Please SMASH li fat kimmy's head..I am OUTRAGED by this savage attack..

Just watch how the rush to travel to South Korea will stop suddenly from Japan as consumers will stay away from this new hotspot.

Kim Jong Il woke up today thinking: "Hmm what shall I do today besides indoctrinating and starving my countrymen?" This might not end well.

This is what happen after South Korea dropped their demand that North Korea apologize for killing 46 sailors in the Cheonan incident. The Kim monarchy just get more cocky with the protection of China.

Kim Jong Il woke up today thinking: "Hmm what shall I do today besides indoctrinating and starving my countrymen?"

Doesn't anybody tell him how badly he needs to restyle his hair? And that news anchor- why is she so obsessed with her news reading?

Time this lunatic Kim was sorted out once and for all, the world has had enough of his insane behaviour. If China wants to back him then sort china out too, no need for these rogue states to exert influence any longer. Two birds with one stone ring a bell.

time for a regime change. Send in the US fighter jets.

An unprovoked attack on civilians takes things to a new level. How does the S. Korean govt. NOT respond? I know that everyone says that war on the peninsula seems unthinkable. Apparently not to the North. Until the South and its allies realize the North's willingness to use violence to get what they want, and the North's lack of seriousness in their negotiations, until the South decides that it too has the ability to make things uncomfortable for the North, it will be doomed to suffer this type of intimidation.

gdehazo: SK DID respond -- it fired back more than 80 shells. The unfortunate fact is that if they do any more than this it will mean annihilation of at least Seoul, and probably more, since NK would use it as an excuse to justify war. I pray it doesn't come to that, but it seems more and more like NK is pushing for it.

Ｅａｓｙ　ｔｏ　ｃａｌｌ　ｆｏｒ　ｗａｒ：　ｈａｒｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｔｏｐ　ｉｔ　ｏｎｃｅ　ｉｔ　ｓｔａｒｔｓ　－－　Ｉ　ｓｕｐｐｏｓｅ　ｈａｖｉｎｇ　ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅｄ　ｗａｒ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｓｏｉｌ　ｄｕｒｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　ｐａｓｔ　ｃｅｎｔｕｒｙ，　ｔｈｅ　Ｓｏｕｔｈ　Ｋｏｒｅａｎｓ　ｗａｎｔ　ｔｏ　ｂｅ　ｍｅａｓｕｒｅｄ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅ．

this will drag the whole of Asia & then rest of the world into war...wellcome to the start of WWIII ppl

Both parties should remember that no matter what happens, it will lead back to the 6parties talks - better now than later.

Might as well go for WW3 what with everything else going on, nuke the north and the other terroists in the middle east and what will be will be get it over and done with . It's what the world needs and is heading ofr anyway! BRING IT ON

Can't wait DPRK deny any wrongdoing and shells to be American one.

Anyone who thinks that the US might have an easy time should read a good history of the Korean War. The US and South Korean armies was suffered serious reverses, first when the North Koreans first invaded, again when the Chinese reacted after UN units crossed the 38th Parallel and approached the Yalu River and twice more when the CCF launched Counter Offensives. Much blood was spent. today, if North Korea were attacked, China might intervene and present day China still has a military force that greatly out numbers the US and South Korea and is no longer technologically far behind the US. There is no do over in war. Wiser and cooler heads are called for.

It will be interesting to see how USA could fare against a real enemy.

1 dead on the SK side. No word on NK casualties from SK 80 shell response.

very true gmat6441

asahi_man if u think WWIII is going to be one sided ur on a different planet NK has China & Russia will follow in suite the Middle east will break into chaos cuz the US will be too busy in Asia leavin home & US allies venerable for attacks which I dare say many US hating or greedy countries will take advantage of. Millions will die & very possibility end in a nuclear holocaust.

oh by the way if that happens Japan is screwed...

"North Korea"

How much longer will there be a North Korea mis-led by dictators? 1 more month or 10 more years?

Poor Kim wants some attention.

I am not advocating general war. What I am saying is that South Korea has to this point been extremely patient and restrained and admirably so. Perhaps they have been too restrained. I submit that it is possible that the North has interpreted restraint as a form of weakness.

I just do not see how any democratically elected government allows its citizens to be attacked without responding forcefully. I do not believe that 80 shells in return is forceful enough.

In order to restore the idea of deterence it may be necessary to "smack the North" in the mouth so to speak to get their attention. In the end, the alliance of Japan, South Korea and the U.S. is by far more powerful. We know it and so do they. What is lacking here is a demonstration of will to use that power.

By the way, I am no kind of Hawk. I know what is at stake here. But I think that these talking heads on T.V. who say that we must now reopen 6 party negoitations are fundamentally mistaken. The North has not kept any of its previous agreements because it has made the strategic decision to become a nuclear power. It uses negotiation to squeeze aid out of others by hinting that it might consider giving up its program, even though it has no intent to do so.

Yes, the current situation is a bad option. It is unfortunately probably the least bad option.

North Korea is a little crappy country, only barely alive thanks to China, so China had better call Pyongyang and make sure these idiots in North Korea do not make too much trouble, they are just like babies, wagamama, trying to get world attention to send them more food because they are so retarded that they can not properly feed their own, this is what the DPRK is, plus living on money from the Pachinko shops that are mainly owned by North Koreans born in Japan.

time for a regime change. Send in the US fighter jets.

The American's wouldn't dare. They've made a whole industry out of invading and overthrowing small, weaker nations.

NK can actually stand up for it self.

silver79 i realise that but still think it is time for a clean out, the world needs it!!

I wonder do all those anti US base protestors in South Korea are still pushing for the bases to leave now?

I hope this thing cools down.

Very worrisome, this news. Here's hoping war doesn't break out.

"North Korea is a little crappy country, only barely alive thanks to China"

Thanks, China.

I wonder do all those anti US base protestors in South Korea are still pushing for the bases to leave now?

The S. Koreans don't actually need US intervention. The US, on the other hand, has gotten it self so deeply entrenched in the region militarily that it would take more than mere protests and wishing to remove them.

Actually, the Americans have a lot of respect for the S. Korean military:

You can Google this to read more: allied_to_race_the_us-korea_alliance_and_arms_race

There will not be a war. South Korea is winning the only war that matters, the economic one, and every day that goes by gives them a bigger lead.

I think the people of South Korea would rather suffer the odd casualty than go through a war, no matter how brief. Wars are "fine" as long as they are fought on somebody else's land.

Wars are "fine" as long as they are fought on somebody else's land.

Indeed, and this is the mantra of Washington.

gdeshazo: "I just do not see how any democratically elected government allows its citizens to be attacked without responding forcefully. I do not believe that 80 shells in return is forceful enough."

Fortunately, it doesn't matter that you think that, and instead SKorea follows the more patient path you speak of a bit earlier. I have no doubt that NK knows SK won't take stronger measures, and hence they do what they do. Again, if SK took stronger measures it would mean war, and that would devastate both nations and possibly others around them.

Japan should do nothing as usual, maybe buy Hyundai and LG put options.

ISOLATION NOW! We need to isolate NK. This charade about "engagement" just ain't working, in fact is making the situation worse.

Isolation was effective against Red China during the insane cultural revolution, South Africa during Apartheid, and so on.

All this sabre-rattling does nothing for the people of NK who must endure another harsh winter. Doubtful that the Globalists invade in the wintertime.

Current thought on this situation: Nuclear bomb (NK right now), nuclear (terrorist) attack US, China/US invade Russia (natural resources). NK fits in with the nuclear theme. And what about "Foundation X" stepping up --> are times so dire that the heavies are coming to bat.

Ratchetting up the tension is a very effective way to reverse the recent fall in the US dollar. Sun Tzu himself would approve.

I think it`s best if South Korea sits back and plays the waiting game. One day that whole disgusting excuse for a government will collapse as the military separates into opposing factions. The South will then be able to clear up the mess and bring civilization to the proles there.

I don`t think the Israel/Palestine problem will be solved in my lifetime, but I am optomistic about the Korean Peninsular.

Love the saber-rattling between NK and SK anytime it surges up! It not only ties SK closer together with US and Japan but also makes fence-sitter Commie China feeling unpleasant.

but also makes fence-sitter Commie China feeling unpleasant.

Unpleasant?? Who do you think is behind all this in the first place??

The more koreas deal with fire exchanges,more things will go down.

It will be interesting to see how USA could fare against a real enemy.

Well, they havent done too well against the inferior enemies over the lat 50 years...

All over Japanese news. Blow the hell out of NK. This is Kim's son game

Stop sending food aid to NK.

If someone believes China is behind this then they should listen to the news out of Bejing. China is urging diplomacy and doesn't want the Korea situation to escalate and I wholeheartedly agree.

Tiresias! That is some font. Is it called StaticyMegaphone?

Cold winter coming for North Korea, and those who have been paying attention know that the Chinese have not got enough food to feed themselves (price controls!). Russians had a bad harvest too (wildfires~!).

How did that harvest go this year, Mr. Kim Jong Il?

Hillary is on the case. You think she is going to give them a break? Ha!

AuntyAmerican, "NK can actually stand up for it self."

Laughs, giggles, more laugh; it would not be a long fight. While North Korea has numbers it is old JUNK. They still have Mig 21's as the backbone of their air force.

Klein? are you serious? That the price controls in China is due to food storages? I suggest you start getting news from other sources other than the chat forum on Japan Today. Either you are very uninformed or you are mssing a few screws in your head.

"China is urging diplomacy and doesn't want the Korea situation"

Could be. They don't want to look like Washington is pushing them, but China is starting to lose wiggle room at just the time NK is asking for more favors. A friend in need is a pain in the (neck), they say.

The west has got to keep the pressure on. If someone lets up, China will have to let up. With more SKoreans dead, and Japan holding fast, and China looking for friends in APEC, and the US bothered by centrifuges, this is actually pretty bad timing for NK. They want to force something, but they have a pretty weak hand, so everyone knows they are bluffing. And now talks will be called off.

Can the Kim regime last until spring? Only China knows for sure.

Kim Jong-Il can't deny this one. If it were American soldiers they blew up, it would've been war.

Klein, how is the west going to keep the pressure on?

Those of you urging for WW3 seriously need to rethink. Go and read some history for WW1/WW2 to actually see the scale in regards to the loss of human life.

Those wars were unavoidable unfortunately and today, fortunately enough, we have our freedom because of the outcome of those wars. We are now living in a very different era and the sheer scale of the number of casualties for a would be WW3 would be absolutely unimaginable.

Anyways I think Bill O'reilly from Fox should invite the North Korean TV spokeswoman for a good heated debate.

I think Dear Kim and Lil' Kim actually play the same role as the emperor here. Whatever power the Kim family may have had is gone. The military has taken over all power, and this is their way of ... doing what? I'm not sure. They just are figure heads. Where are the US military and their missles that are supposed to shoot down incomming missles? I don't feel safe anymore here in Japan. Anyway, the US, Japan, and S. Korea made China, and if China wants to play with N Korea, just get used to it. It is just a little proxy war China is playing as part of its "Island Politics" (along with Russia).

Those wars were unavoidable unfortunately and today, fortunately enough, we have our freedom because of the outcome of those wars.

Do you really believe that?

I think southsakai and klein are both talking in the same direction. A soft landing for NK would be in everyone's best interest, but the first step is for the North to fully grasp their complete lack of options. Hence, outside countries must continue treating NK as a pariah and to encourage China to ratchet up their own pressure. Only when NK is convinced that their traditional racket of threats-for-aid is no longer viable will they approach the bargaining table honestly.

lostrune2:"Kim Jong-Il can't deny this one."

Want to bet? The latest BBC report is saying that NK released a statement saying that SK fired first.

So here we go again with NK denying everything just like the torpedo incident!

We have two possibilities here.

Either this is condoned and backed by China as a way of taking world pressure of of them for their own mishandling of the sea border situations (Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, etc..) and the Noble related threats. And therefore we will have a weak response from China.

Or

This Is NK doing its usual thing but with a bit high stakes to get more from everyone including China that is now due to sanctions basically covering 90% of all aid but still keeping that aid to a minimum and if so we just may see an unusually strong response from China.

For now it is a wait and see situation.

Out of interest, I checked the etymology of "pariah" and have posted it below:

1610s, from Port. paria or directly from Tamil paraiyar, pl. of paraiyan "drummer" (at festivals, the hereditary duty of members of the largest of the lower castes of southern India), from parai "large festival drum." Especially numerous at Madras, where its members supplied most of the domestics in European service. Applied by Hindus and Europeans to members of any low Hindu caste and even to outcastes. Extended meaning "social outcast" is first attested 1819.

southsaki: Those of you urging for WW3 seriously need to rethink.

With North Korea sinking South Korean ships and now firing artillery at South Korea and killing civilians, I'm not sure how you think this isn't a war. It's just a one sided war.

Again, just stop sending food aid. The NK army would starve in 2 months.

What a basket case country, totally useless.

Beelzebub at 09:39 PM JST - 23rd November but also makes fence-sitter Commie China feeling unpleasant. Unpleasant?? Who do you think is behind all this in the first place??

That might look like it but China several times made it look like that they want to prevent unrest in the pacific region (caused by other than themselves of course). But sure, they could be lying just like their North Korean lapdogs.

i'm boarding the next flight back home, so i can watch on Reuters as asia tears itself apart in the bloodiest battles since sino-japan.

We should certainly put some blame on China~ They really aren't doing all they can to contain the North

Hell and just a we were going home (To the USA)

dragging china into this is the most undesirable thing people can do right now. war with north korea will mean tens of thousands dead. they're crazy enough to launch missiles into japan for no reason. war with china will mean millions die. dont think japan or anyone in the asian part of the world will walk away with both legs on that. i'd separate china and north korea on this one.

btw, for the hawks on here, now's the perfect time to enlist in the army for japan if theyll take you or whichever country youre from. put your life where your mouth is.

mushroomcloud, "Again, just stop sending food aid. The NK army would starve in 2 months."

Very nice, the countries party members would use this as an excuse to starve the people they do not like blaming their deaths on others. It will not hurt the fat little man at all or his fat son.

Yuriotani,

Agreed. NK could have opened up their economy and extend trade with South Korea and China, giving her people some opportunities. But nooooooooo, stupid KJ ILL is too afraid that outside forces will take over his country. So, his country starves, while thousands of NK people defect every year.

Nice! So much for central planning!

May cooler heads prevail.

Might as well go for WW3 what with everything else going on, nuke the north and the other terroists in the middle east and what will be will be get it over and done with . It's what the world needs and is heading ofr anyway! BRING IT ON

We are talking about reality, not video games here. Can you ever imagine what a WW3 would bring to planet earth? I don't know how this story will end, but i do know that all members involved MUST avoid war at any cost. The guys up there are insane. They can nuke S. Korea or in the worst case, even Japan if they think that this is justified...

the joint US/ROK military 'drill' scheduled to go on for November 22-30 which got the North riled up to begin with (imagine if you had to be on full alert for over a week) "involves 70,000 South Korean military troops, 50 warships, 90 helicopters and 500 planes. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Seventh Air Force will also participate in the exercise"...

what kinda 'drill' do you reckon that would be for, folks? If someone were doing that on your front yard, would you be cool with it?

That kind of drill is something that happens on a regular basis. Multinational forces HAVE to practice together regularly if they ever expect to work as a coordinated unit should the need arise to do it "for real". You don't practice with just a squad of "your's" and a squad of "their's", you need full battaliions and squadrons if you're going to iron out most of the kinks that naturally occur when two different organizations try to work together.

North Koreans wouldn't understand that concept because they don't trust ANYONE and would never work together with another country on ANY project.

Fadamor, I agree with you this time.

Ok, let em eat cake.

mushroomcloud, think the young fat son wants a war. He might even believe his own propaganda about being able to defeat the South and the USA. The only "wild card" is China, what are they going to do? Are they troops willing to die by the hundreds of thousands for their masters?

While North Korea has numbers it is old JUNK. They still have Mig 21's as the backbone of their air force.

North Korea has nukes.

"more military strikes if the South encroaches on the maritime border by “even 0.001 millimeter.”

I think this is hyperbole because, like, how would they measure that?

"May cooler heads prevail."

Hard to imagine any hotter heads than theirs, so this is likely to happen.

"btw, for the hawks on here, now's the perfect time to enlist in the army for japan if theyll take you or whichever country youre from. put your life where your mouth is."

Snarky to be sure, but btw Japan does not have an "army" and they won't take you "whichever country youre from" so put your brain where your mouth is.

"i'm boarding the next flight back home, so i can watch on Reuters"

Which begs the question, do you take the 0.001 infinity chance of being killed by an NK shell in your Tokyo mansion, or the 100% probability of TSA groping? Be careful this holiday season, everyone. Arrive alive.

Let's not forget this is ultimately all the fault of the US and Russia. In the first few months after the end of WWII, there was no North and South Korea. Koreans like to remind Japanese that immediately after the war, the provisional government organized militias to protect Japanese who were in Korea. Then the US and Russia stepped in entirely uninvited, and divided Korea into N and S. Then we had the Korean war and the present situation. Chalk up another one up for the good ol' USofA.

"a Facebook posting that the U.S. military is “closely monitoring the situation and exchanging information with our (South Korean) allies as we always do.”"

wow. Facebook. Now that looks really serious...

Chalk up another one up for the good ol' USofA.

lol. Out of curiosity, is there anything, now or in the past or future, that the US is not somehow responsible for? Just curious. Haters gonna hate regardless.

Chalk up another one up for the good ol' USofA.

Oh yeah the USA is responsible for a lot of things. Like Liberating Europe which without their help the Allies were in deep trouble. Also liberating Korea from Japanese rule of which is totally ignored by the Koreans. If anyone is responsible for the division of Korea it's the Russians who came into the war with Japan at the last possible minute for their land grab. I think places like Europe and Korea have a lot to thank the USA for. Maybe what we need now is for the North and South to fight it out. Unaided.

mikehuntez:

Like Liberating Europe

And after liberating Europe demanding the countries they liberated to fight with them in the Korean War otherwise they could simply kiss goodbye to aid from the Marschall Plan.

Indeed, another one can be chalked up for the good ol' USof A.

And after liberating Europe demanding the countries they liberated to fight with them in the Korean War otherwise they could simply kiss goodbye to aid from the Marschall Plan.

That was called the United Nations. Not the United States. Get your facts right.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

Fadamor, Yuri Otani: the fact that they practice that kind of "drill" on a regular basis doesn't make it right, and is a prime reason why North Korea has concentrated on building up its military.

1) Can you the answer the basic question of what type of "drill" you think it is 2) Again, if someone was practicing this "drill" with a bunch of his buddies parading outside your house year after year, would you not take measures to shut it down

That was called the United Nations. Not the United States. Get your facts right.

Wrong! It was a program of the US. Check it, and you'll see those facts ARE right.

The military action on the Korean Peninsula was executed by a UN force. Many nations receiving NO Marshall Plan aid sent troops. Some that received MPlan funds did not send troops.

I don't know how this fits into blame and the US and Russia really. Russia has stopped supporting North Korea and wont even do energy deals with them anymore. The UN is not involved with the Koreas anymore. The world has changed. Pretty well everyone has gotten what they wanted except for this Albania like state, the DPRK. The dysfunctional people's rogue korea.

You can't really blame NK bizarreness on anybody but Kim Jong Il. It goes so far beyond Stalinism that it is more Khmer Rouge-ish.

Complete and total isolation seems to be the best solution. Do this and NK will come around to a more normal way of acting.

The military action on the Korean Peninsula was executed by a UN force. Many nations receiving NO Marshall Plan aid sent troops. Some that received MPlan funds did not send troops.

I guess roomtemp missed that memo.

You can't really blame NK bizarreness on anybody but Kim Jong Il.

Kim Il Sung actually. Jong Il's father who died in 1994.

I guess mikehuntez and Klein2 missed the fact that I did NOT talk about the military operation on the Korean Peninsula by the UN. In fact I talked about the "so-called" help the AMERICANS offered Europe (after liberation) through the Marshall Plan.

The father is in charge and gave the go ahead for the artillery strike. This kid is still unexperienced- if the old man can still breath, talk,walk, and eat a steak dinner. He's still in charge of his military.

If you haven't seen a funeral or serious communication about father kimmy ? That means he is still alive is funeral or whatever would be so huge that all communications would be at it's peak or high. Japan & US survellience should know this already.

Japan, America, & S.Korea are ready to fire up some cruise missles at any given time.

Peaceful communication is progressing now as we speak. So hopefully this problem will be resolved.

I'm here in Korea, and I can tell you that peaceful communication is not progressing as we speak. Fact is, now Lee Myung Bak is talking about attacking North Korean missile sites. Which would get the attention of the North's neighbors. I would also hope that the problem be resolved, but it may be that a quck peaceful resolution isn't what some people want.

Well, I don't know how this started, but it is appreciated that the APEC Forum was concluded w/out serious incident. Whoever initiated this conflict was polite enough to wait.... thank you.

Klien2: You can't really blame NK bizarreness on anybody but Kim Jong Il.

Um, I think you are forgetting about the Dear Leader. That is the problem with American education, it tends to lead to myopia and delusions of grandeur. I won't lay as much of the blame for the whole issue on the US as Shinjuku boy, but WOW do Americans know how the Ef things up. This is just one example. And those who want to cry "We saved the day" in WW2 are eating as much propaganda as those visiting Yasakuni. Sure, you helped out during WW2, but many men and women fought and died to hold the tide LONG before you decided to join the party and take all the glory. Unfortunately, power corrupted and pies across the world got fingered to the ends we see now, with a world of voices shouting "Screw off and stay in your own backyard." Think how lovely the world could be without the US of A's desire for hegemony.

North Korea's motive is that it wants to show it is one of the big players, like China and Russia, in "island politics".

I guess mikehuntez and Klein2 missed the fact that I did NOT talk about the military operation on the Korean Peninsula by the UN. In fact I talked about the "so-called" help the AMERICANS offered Europe (after liberation) through the Marshall Plan.

So if you look at the list of countries that fought the Korean War under the United Nations, just how many of them were ones liberated with the help of US power? About 3 who became members of the UN. Somehow your trying to say that the US blackmailed these countries to fight the Korean War. That is just idiotic. If you are going to make this claim do you think you could back it up with any information you have. We would really appreciate if you could just point us to the proof of what you claim. Until then it's just someone venting BS on the net.

MeanRingo: I won't lay as much of the blame for the whole issue on the US as Shinjuku boy, but WOW do Americans know how the Ef things up. This is just one example. And those who want to cry "We saved the day" in WW2 are eating as much propaganda as those visiting Yasakuni. Sure, you helped out during WW2, but many men and women fought and died to hold the tide LONG before you decided to join the party and take all the glory.

Nah, we pretty much saved your asses and you're just going to have to find a way to come to terms with that. Now we're stuck solving the problems in the world that Europe created when you suddenly decided it would be a splendid idea to just go back home and let others sort it out for you. Sorry we didn't live up to your expectations, but we just don't have enough experience enslaving and destroying as much as you guys do. Maybe it's the racism, Europe's main export. We can't seem to get on board with that to be a true destroyer of worlds.

mikehuntez

I don't know anymore how to make your penny drop. Maybe you could read Alan Greenspan's book "The Age Of Turbulence" to find out if I'm "just venting BS on the net".

I rest my case.

Well roomtemp. That's more like it. But I still doubt the 'blackmail' thing. Why don't you enlighten us as to what Mr. Greenspan said in his book.

Why don't you enlighten us as to what Mr. Greenspan said in his book.

I'm not your personal secretary, Mike.

Google.....maybe?

Moderator: Readers, please focus your comments on the topic and not at each other.

Please send China a very clear message..USS GEORGE WASHINGTON WILL BE IN THE YELLOW SEA SHORTLY TO JOIN S KOREA-U.S.A. NAVAL EXERCISE!! If Chinese cannot take this well TOO BAD FOR THEM..

One of the many things that amazes me on JT is the incredible ability for some to spin anything so that it's the US' fault, either totally or partially.

And no, I'm not an American.

Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea and the U.S.-led U.N. Command, said in a Facebook posting

Why does this bother me more than anything else? It just sounds so ridiculous.

Then if South Korea is planning on hitting some of the rocket places THAT can drag so many other UN forces in like last Korean war & we know that with the flood of troops & such from China the allied UN troops would have lost if there had not been that long drawen out truce.

To prance South Korean troops in front of the North Korean forces, is sort of almost asking for some trouble in the future.

Smythe:"To prance South Korean troops in front of the North Korean forces, is sort of almost asking for some trouble in the future.

But then I guess you must approve of NK doing it's own drills near the border with SK and and in the same seas just on their side of the cease fire line as well as firing missiles over other countries.

Again Hypocrisy at its best.

Today's problem would never have hppened, if Truman had let McArthur do his thing. One bomb deliveed in th right place would have stopped the entire fracas of the 50's. Now it is too late to even think like we did in 1945.

Today's problem would never have happened if General Hodge hadn't been given carte blanche from McArther to re-employ those Koreans who had helped the Japanese rule Korea prior to the end of WWII. The offically stated goal of the US being in Korea after Japan's surrender was to escort Japanese personnel the hell out of there so the Koreans could have their country back. Instead, they reinforced the old structure (which condoned torture and beatings) which enraged Korean citizens and led to the conflicts which precipitated the Korean War. Existing factories and infrastructure were obliterated during the war, which negated the possibility for a more self-directed economic development, and therefore made South Korea dependant on the US for economic assistance; South Korea is therefore forever indepted to its "benefactor". On account of the actions of McArther and Hodge, a lot of soldiers and civilians had to pay the ultimate price, and has as been pointed out, the unresolved issues linger around today to be inherited by us. Yeah, good job, McArther. And as for a lot of poster-poseurs around here, it's basically like a middle school student trying to say how much they know about love, and, well, politics. And yes, we are amused, you're not even close. You're the same mangey mutts who rooted the coalition forces on when the US attacked Iraq. The end result is that the US has fallen out of favor in a lot of places and has actually diminshed in stature, never mind the mess that Iraq has been left to clean up. Well, there's always the FOX channel for your lot.

lesgrande - Today's problem would never have happened........

FYI - Russian troops controlled the Korean peninsula north of the 38th parallel after WWII and formed a government there in 1948. The "Korean war" still began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea.

"Todays problems" would not have occured if the DPRK hadn't fire artillery shells into ROK. Or sunk a ROK vessel. Or continually attack UN border guards. Or acted like non-psychotic, paranoid government.

Hey Ringo, I think the word "hegemony" has a nice ring to it. You indicated Americans are something less than you approve of. We are a confident people whose fore-fathers were revolutionarys. They wished all men to be free. (Listening for slavery thing.) America is an experiment in the concept that free men can govern themselves. Every free person on this planet owes America their freedom. The Statue of Liberty is not about welcoming immigrants, it's about Liberty going forth from our shores. We really, as Patriots, don't care what anyone thinks about our power and how it is to be used. It's our power. Tell me what you "got".

An educated person might think that the mid-east is the danger point. It is not thanks to the Kim family who rules the North. Why does anyone put up with these mad people? It is China's interest to have a capitalist Korea on her border. It would provide stability in the area, and it gives a possible ally in any pushing and shoving with Imperial Russia. The trade that would develope will provide for trust. American troops could be deployed elsewhere. I think all would benefit from the unification of Korea under the South.