S Korean troops bracing for possible N Korean attack

How many times is the US govt. going to be bamboozled by Kim Jong Il??? Winter has arrived and N.Korea is desperate for food and heating fuel for it's people. Kim does something stupid to provocate S. Korea, makes threats and creates uncertainty in the region. Then the naive Americans (who appear to have lost an understanding of the Communist, cold war mentality) allow Kim to broker a deal with the US and others for the food and fuel he needs to survive the winter. This allows Kim to prevent a mutiny from within and a military coup d'état. When spring and warmer weather arrive, he will kick out the IAEA and UN inspectors once again and focus on further developing the uranium enrichment program. Serioulsy, how many times can Kim fool the US with the same manuever??? It is becoming a bit humorous.

"South Korean President Lee Myung-bak gathered his national security leaders for strategic talks Tuesday as troops braced for possible North Korean retaliation a day after conducting artillery drills on an island the North bombed last month."

So with the threat so real why not swallow your pride a little and do the drills a little bit South of the disputed area?

thetruthhurts: Are you going to get mad at the media for using the word 'bombed' instead of 'shelled'? :)

thetruthhurts: Are you going to get mad at the media for using the word 'bombed' instead of 'shelled'? :)

Actually, if the shells were fired from artillery or the like the correct term is in fact 'shell' not bomb. 'Bomb' generally means the bombs were dropped from above as in from aircraft. So, yes, the media is wrong if they are using the word 'bomb' ;)

SK and the US have been doing these exercises for a long time and have never harmed any NK civilians in the process. NK is barking in the wind to get food and such. I am tired of people blaming everyone but NK. It is their fault they killed civilians and no one elses.

thetruthhurts: "Actually, if the shells were fired from artillery or the like the correct term is in fact 'shell' not bomb. 'Bomb' generally means the bombs were dropped from above as in from aircraft. So, yes, the media is wrong if they are using the word 'bomb' ;)"

I was just egging you on, bro. You were giving someone a hard time about this yesterday, and yet today the media is using the word 'bomb' to describe the shelling. I agree with you, but nonetheless, there are clearly some differences in terms of semantics.

thetruthhurts: "SK and the US have been doing these exercises for a long time and have never harmed any NK civilians in the process."

They've been doing them in that exact location with the same threats all the time? Please. This is about pride and face saving, on both sides.

"NK is barking in the wind to get food and such. I am tired of people blaming everyone but NK. It is their fault they killed civilians and no one elses."

Agreed they are just barking in the wind... that should be a given. Show me someone who is not blaming NK while they blame others, though, please. Have you never heard the expression 'It takes two to tango'? Please don't get me wrong -- NK instigated this from the get-go, My point is only that SK has a chance to take the high road and move their drills a little further south, but they are not, and then they cry about possible retaliation from NK.

Let's say a guy is pointing a gun at me and says he'll shoot if I do something he doesn't like. I also have a gun. I could pick it up and point it at him and we could both shoot each other because I don't want to back down. Or I could try talking to the man, avoid pulling out my weapon. NK usually doesn't listen anyway, in the end, but that doesn't change the fact that me pulling out my weapon would result in me probably being shot.

smith,

I know you were playin'. No worries. The other day, I honestly was not sure if the person I was responding to was referring to the shelling or to something else at first. Using the term shelling makes it clearer which idiotic thing NK did that is being referred to.

They've been doing them in that exact location with the same threats all the time? Please.

Please what ;)? Yes, I believe they have been doing them roughly in the same location. As to the threats, NK is always threatening SK and the US. Don't you keep up? I agree about the pride and face saving however. Thing is, there are times when NK should be made aware they have crossed the line of reason. They were this time and they seem to now understand it. So, it is all good right now.

Have you never heard the expression 'It takes two to tango'?

Yes. It does not apply here. NK is the aggressor and it has always been so. As you say in your next sentence, 'NK instigated this from the get-go'. So, this is not about tangoing. It is about NK constantly trying to intimidate its neighbors. Perhaps your analogy works with some individuals. However, we are talking about a country that kidnapped its neighbors citizens and denied doing so for a very long time. The high road has already been taken by Japan and SK for not stopping the aid they are constantly forking over to NK. Time for NK to learn to walk on the high road, too for a change.

You do seem to be attempting to make it look otherwise, but you are definitely putting the onus for peace on the actual victims of violence rather than the perpetrator of the violence. That is kind of what I am tired of. NK had a choice not to shell innocent civilians. They chose to shell them. SK and the US have not done anything of the sort to NK.

Do not get me wrong. I am not all gung ho for a war, not one bit.I just am sick of people making excuses for NK and cloaking them in the 'high road' kind of speeches. I think the world has definitely taken the high road with NK. All the aid they have received in the face of their asinine actions is the proof of this.

They've been doing them in that exact location with the same threats all the time? Please." Yongson was my first duty station, we did a lot of CAX's, Team Spirits, mountain training with the SK, etc.. that was back in 91' If any of you ever been in the Army and have gone to GSA, you'd see that even back then, everyone was locked and loaded.

skipthesong,

Exactly. Why can't people check this stuff out before they get all hot under the collar. NK did this and it is their fault. It is not Japan's fault. It is not SK's fault and it is not the US's fault. It is NK's fault 100%.

thetruthhurts: "Thing is, there are times when NK should be made aware they have crossed the line of reason."

Agreed, but the questions is HOW you make them aware. Having your capital and other cities destroyed for an "I told you so" seems a very childish approach. Again, the whole heat-butting thing is all great for a video game, but in real life, when millions of lives are at stake, it's not quite the same thing.

So, Mr. Smith, what do you propose? or do we wait for NK to actually throw a nuke over the border and then respond?

smithinjapan,

We don't disagree that much. I think war should be avoided, too. However, skipthesong brings up a valid point. The US and SK have been doing these trainings in the same area for a long time. This one was planned a long time back. There have been no NK civilians killed through such training exercises. There was no reason for NK to think there would be this time. They killed civilians for attention. We agree they were completely wrong. They need to be seriously watched. I like the Richardson developments for the short term. However, considering NK's past record, I think the US and SK should be on guard. If that means the occasional training exercise, so be it. Use the carrot, but also be prepared to use the stick.