Thread: Uncertain World: The Secret to North Korea’s Survival

Uncertain World: The Secret to North Korea’s Survival

North Korea is once again at the center of the world’s attention. Its plan to launch a rocket to mark the centenary of the birth of the great leader Kim Il-sung is causing a headache for all its neighbors and the United States.
Despite the unusual transparency of the event – Pyongyang has invited foreign journalists to attend – nobody believes that the launch is part of the country’s civilian space program rather than a ballistic missile test. Yet another cause for concern is that North Korean rockets sometimes deviate from their trajectory and simply drop at random.
When the Soviet Union broke apart 20 years ago and the Juche regime was left without material aid, almost everyone believed that it was doomed to an early end. Its collapse was expected in 1994 when its permanent leader Kim Il-sung died, to be succeeded by his son, regarded as a playboy who was not up to the task of ruling the country. Power has once again changed hands, with the great leader’s grandson now at the helm. He is young and inexperienced, and he is also not expected to last long in his post. It will be interesting to see what he can achieve in the next several years.
There are several reasons for the exceptional staying power of North Korean socialism. First, Pyongyang has never permitted any experimentation – unflagging repression does not leave any room for any alternative paths of development. The powers that be in North Korea have learned the lesson of other socialist countries – controlled liberalization instantly spins out of control.
What’s more, the North Korean regime has managed to keep society closed to an unprecedented degree. There is no other state in the world as insulated from foreign influence. This makes the country almost immune to events like the Arab Spring.
Second, at the early stages of this new era in geopolitics, Pyongyang made a far-sighted bet on a nuclear program. As a result, when the U.S. government began to pursue regime change by force at the turn of the century, North Korea was already untouchable – the risk of a suicidal nuclear retaliation with unacceptable consequences was too high. As with street gangs, having a reputation as a psycho is a good thing. Despite its strong words, South Korea is unwilling to go too far with its neighbor to the north. Nobody knows for sure whether the leaders of North Korea are prepared for a kamikaze mission, and nobody wants to test their resolve. Pyongyang understands this and actively cultivates its image as an irrational and dangerously unhinged regime.
Third, the support of Beijing, which backed Pyongyang in Soviet times and has been its chief patron since the 1990s, is decisive. This has nothing to do with ideology – the aggressive dogma of their North Korean comrades is alien to Chinese pragmatists. But Beijing proceeds from the premise that the status quo is better than any alternative, be it a pro-American united Korea or “Greater Korea” with ambitions and nationalistic bias.

Fourth, practically nobody is interested in Korean unification. Pyongyang has long stopped dreaming of expansion; it is too busy making an all-out bid to survive. Meanwhile, sudden unification with their North Korean brothers could bankrupt Seoul. Japan, though frightened of its reckless neighbor, would not be happy about the emergence of a united Korea even under Seoul’s aegis – the Koreans have accumulated many grievances against their neighbors, especially the Japanese, over the past hundred years.
Curiously, Russia would actually stand to gain from Korean unification. This does not mean Moscow’s “special relationship” with North Korea is anything but pure fantasy. But unification would create a big and influential country with far fewer historical or other grievances against Russia than any of its other neighbors.
With its newfound interest in Asia, Russia wants to diversify its ties to avoid complete dependence on Beijing. Korea could become a very convenient partner in this respect, not to mention Russia’s plans for transport and energy routes, such as the proposed trans-Korean gas pipeline, that cannot materialize because of the dispute between the two Koreas. This is why Russia is trying to shift the paradigm for a peace settlement and replace the obviously failed American approach with a new one that is based on an attempt to entice Pyongyang with economic dividends.
Finally, the North Korean issue is not nearly as straightforward for the United States as it seems. Obviously, Washington is irritated by this unpredictable state that taunts it with nuclear tests, missile launches and cascades of new centrifuges. But in the long term, this East Asian outcast is very useful for America.
The main challenge of the United States in the next decade is to consolidate its positions in the Asia-Pacific region. This is official policy. Strategic rivalry with China is not yet inevitable but its likelihood is growing. It would be too provocative for Americans to challenge Beijing openly by encircling China (although the U.S. has obviously beefed up diplomacy in Vietnam, Myanmar and the rest of Southeast Asia). Moreover, tightly woven economic interdependence in the region prevents the U.S. from acting head on. In the meantime, the presence of an aggressive regime in the region, which deliberately reaffirms this reputation and frightens U.S. allies in the region, is a good pretext for consolidating alliances and building up military and political presence, from ground- and sea-based systems to missile defense.

Beijing would have been wise to moderate its North Korean client long ago by nudging them along the path to peaceful transformation. However, it’s not clear that China can do this. Everyone agrees that it is impossible to simply persuade the leadership in Pyongyang. The Western idea that Pyongyang might retreat if Beijing cuts or discontinues economic aid may be erroneous.
North Korea’s leaders realize that their Chinese partners primarily want to avoid any escalation that might shift the status quo against Beijing’s interests. So, it’s not only America, Japan and South Korea that can be blackmailed through escalation, but China too.
By exerting pressure, Beijing risks provoking Pyongyang into a fit of aggression against Seoul or Tokyo, which could escalate U.S. involvement in the region and backfire against China. Paradoxically, the extremely complicated relations between Asian states, which define the contours of an intense rivalry in the future, are what guarantee the survival of this anachronistic regime – the spawn of a bygone era and a failed ideology.


Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal – the most authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments

http://en.rian.ru/columnists/20120411/172755085.html

Originally Posted by EvilAztec

.....Second, at the early stages of this new era in geopolitics, Pyongyang made a far-sighted bet on a nuclear program. As a result, when the U.S. government began to pursue regime change by force at the turn of the century, North Korea was already untouchable – the risk of a suicidal nuclear retaliation with unacceptable consequences was too high. As with street gangs, having a reputation as a psycho is a good thing. Despite its strong words, South Korea is unwilling to go too far with its neighbor to the north. Nobody knows for sure whether the leaders of North Korea are prepared for a kamikaze mission, and nobody wants to test their resolve. Pyongyang understands this and actively cultivates its image as an irrational and dangerously unhinged regime.

Third, the support of Beijing, which backed Pyongyang in Soviet times and has been its chief patron since the 1990s, is decisive. This has nothing to do with ideology – the aggressive dogma of their North Korean comrades is alien to Chinese pragmatists. But Beijing proceeds from the premise that the status quo is better than any alternative, be it a pro-American united Korea or “Greater Korea” with ambitions and nationalistic bias.

.....Curiously, Russia would actually stand to gain from Korean unification. This does not mean Moscow’s “special relationship” with North Korea is anything but pure fantasy. But unification would create a big and influential country with far fewer historical or other grievances against Russia than any of its other neighbors.
With its newfound interest in Asia, Russia wants to diversify its ties to avoid complete dependence on Beijing. Korea could become a very convenient partner in this respect, not to mention Russia’s plans for transport and energy routes, such as the proposed trans-Korean gas pipeline, that cannot materialize because of the dispute between the two Koreas. This is why Russia is trying to shift the paradigm for a peace settlement and replace the obviously failed American approach with a new one that is based on an attempt to entice Pyongyang with economic dividends.

Finally, the North Korean issue is not nearly as straightforward for the United States as it seems. Obviously, Washington is irritated by this unpredictable state that taunts it with nuclear tests, missile launches and cascades of new centrifuges. But in the long term, this East Asian outcast is very useful for America.
The main challenge of the United States in the next decade is to consolidate its positions in the Asia-Pacific region. This is official policy. Strategic rivalry with China is not yet inevitable but its likelihood is growing. It would be too provocative for Americans to challenge Beijing openly by encircling China (although the U.S. has obviously beefed up diplomacy in Vietnam, Myanmar and the rest of Southeast Asia). Moreover, tightly woven economic interdependence in the region prevents the U.S. from acting head on. In the meantime, the presence of an aggressive regime in the region, which deliberately reaffirms this reputation and frightens U.S. allies in the region, is a good pretext for consolidating alliances and building up military and political presence, from ground- and sea-based systems to missile defense.

Beijing would have been wise to moderate its North Korean client long ago by nudging them along the path to peaceful transformation. However, it’s not clear that China can do this. Everyone agrees that it is impossible to simply persuade the leadership in Pyongyang. The Western idea that Pyongyang might retreat if Beijing cuts or discontinues economic aid may be erroneous.

North Korea’s leaders realize that their Chinese partners primarily want to avoid any escalation that might shift the status quo against Beijing’s interests. So, it’s not only America, Japan and South Korea that can be blackmailed through escalation, but China too.
By exerting pressure, Beijing risks provoking Pyongyang into a fit of aggression against Seoul or Tokyo, which could escalate U.S. involvement in the region and backfire against China. Paradoxically, the extremely complicated relations between Asian states, which define the contours of an intense rivalry in the future, are what guarantee the survival of this anachronistic regime – the spawn of a bygone era and a failed ideology.

There are many interesting points in Fyodor Lukyanov's article.

I have to stress that a nuclear North Korea is a threat to all countries, not to mention those in the region -- the US, Japan, Russia and even China. It is obvious that it won't do any good for Russia to have more and more nuclear states in its proximity.

It is certainly no comfort for the US, Europe, Australia and other Western nations if the "unruly teenager" could send nuclear missiles all the way to their soils.

North Korea could be another Vietnam to turn its guns back on China. If relations with China turn sour in the future, it won't be surprise to find North Korea throw a few nuclear bombs at China. It is akin to a sorcerer signing an unholy pact with the Devil who will return to haunt him in the future.

There may be many South Koreans who feel the pride of associating with a Korean nuclear bomb. However, the chance of a second Korean War is high, and when it happens, the two regions on the Korean Peninsula will turn to rubble. South Korea's economic progress would disappear overnight in the event of a war. As shown in the Korean War, North Korea will show no mercy to its southern compatriots whether they support the communist regime.

Please read the latest news on the failure of North Korea's rocket launch: North Korea rocket launch fails

North Korea acting out like 'unruly teenagers': Clinton
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...h1Ph7CSCppWDvQ

Originally Posted by EvilAztec

....When the Soviet Union broke apart 20 years ago and the Juche regime was left without material aid, almost everyone believed that it was doomed to an early end. Its collapse was expected in 1994 when its permanent leader Kim Il-sung died, to be succeeded by his son, regarded as a playboy who was not up to the task of ruling the country. Power has once again changed hands, with the great leader’s grandson now at the helm. He is young and inexperienced, and he is also not expected to last long in his post. It will be interesting to see what he can achieve in the next several years....

Like his father who was regarded as a playboy "not up to the task of ruling the country", this "young and inexperienced" guy could, to the surprise of many people, "last long in his post". He just has to follow his father's road map in building up the country's nuclear arsenal. He may behave unpredictably to show that he is fit for his father's shoes.

Originally Posted by EvilAztec

.....Fourth, practically nobody is interested in Korean unification. Pyongyang has long stopped dreaming of expansion; it is too busy making an all-out bid to survive....

In my opinion, North Korea's short-term goal is survival, but its long-term goal is the unfinished job of the Korean War -- unification with the South under the rule of the Kim Dynasty or at least, the communist regime. This explains its unwavering pursuit of nuclear weapons. In order to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, the US may eventually accept Korean unification under the terms of a democratic government, but the North will definitely insist on its own terms of unification. It is doubtful whether North Korea will ever surrender its nuclear weapons because they would be too advanced and tempting for the communist regime to give up.

Originally Posted by EvilAztec

.....Finally, the North Korean issue is not nearly as straightforward for the United States as it seems. Obviously, Washington is irritated by this unpredictable state that taunts it with nuclear tests, missile launches and cascades of new centrifuges. But in the long term, this East Asian outcast is very useful for America.....

Like China, the US would find North Korea both a benefit and a liability. A nuclear North Korea with ballistic missile capability would definitely be a threat to the US. A nuclear North Korea that successfully defies the US and other nuclear powers will tempt and encourage other smaller countries to follow its footsteps in acquiring nuclear weapons. Currently, Iran is a good example.

Originally Posted by EvilAztec

......Beijing would have been wise to moderate its North Korean client long ago by nudging them along the path to peaceful transformation. However, it’s not clear that China can do this....

As China is so obsessed with using North Korea as a buffer state, it will prop up and defend the North Korean regime at all costs. Thus China is held hostage by North Korea, and could only call for "restraint" whenever the "unruly teenager' causes mischief.

Originally Posted by EvilAztec

......Paradoxically, the extremely complicated relations between Asian states, which define the contours of an intense rivalry in the future, are what guarantee the survival of this anachronistic regime – the spawn of a bygone era and a failed ideology.

.....Paradoxically, the extremely complicated relations between Asian states, which define the contours of an intense rivalry in the future, are what guarantee the survival of this anachronistic regime – the spawn of a bygone era and a failed ideology - pursuing a brilliant strategy of calculated risk and bold brinkmanship.

Not quite true. Do not forget that Kim Jong-un is not ruled by N.Korea but the people in military uniforms who always stay behind, in the shade .They are a Real Power of N.Korea. Kim is a kind of folding screen in other words he is frontpage. These people manage N.Korea, and these people have made the wrong choice. Kim looks like as a quite shy teenager ... Boat of power in N.Korea beginning to lose stability ... All around thought that in N.Korea permanent famine, but it is not quite true.
In that country thriving shadow market that is a sign of fatigue regime . Because the Power realized that is the only way to avoid a revolution. By the way, How many American tourists been in N.Korea?
Russian tourists often visit that Country .

Granny wants to know what dey doin', what's goin' on?...

North Korea's leader still a mystery
October 24th, 2012 - The United States and South Korea still have no clear insight on the new leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, nearly a year after he replaced his father.

"We still don't know whether or not he will follow in the footsteps of his father, or whether he represents a different kind of leadership for the future," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta admitted Wednesday. Panetta made the comment at a news conference on Wednesday after security talks with his South Korean counterpart. The meetings included discussion of North Korea's young leader, who succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, after his death in 2011.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said the actual regime "seems to be quite stable," and there is hope Kim Jong Un would "try to introduce new economic reform measures to make a better life for the people" of North Korea. But the defense minister admitted he was also unsure what path North Korea's leader would take, and he warned that given Kim Jong Un's young age, it could mean bolder actions by the North Korean government. He described Kim as "young, meaning he may be a lot more aggressive compared to old people." Kim is believed to be 29.

Panetta once again called North Korea "defiant and provocative," as he has before, and said he was concerned over its plans to conduct a third nuclear weapons test. Kim Kwan-jin added that North Korea has been making preparations for this third test "for quite a long time." Although he did not say Pyongyang had decided to proceed, he added "it may in fact resort to this third nuclear test."

Speaking with Kim Kwan-jin by his side, Panetta said, "North Korea remains a threat to both of our nations, and a serious threat to regional and global stability." He accused the Pyongyang of defying international rules by continuing to enrich uranium. North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 but has not conducted a test this year despite its threats.

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What is going on inside North Korea?
October 25th, 2012 - In the famously opaque world of North Korean politics, the ongoing leadership transition is in some ways proving more dagger than cloak with reports of executions and purges of top military officials in recent days.

South Korean newspapers this week reported on the execution of Kim Chol, North Korea's vice minister of the North Korean military, and other senior military officials earlier this year for drinking liquor during the mourning period for former leader Kim Jong Il. Kim's son, Kim Jong Un, who is the new leader of North Korea, has overseen purges of other former leaders from the military ranks for being involved in sex scandals the reports also said. "Contrary to what might be the popular perception that there is a smooth transition going on from the father to the son, these reports show there is still a lot of churn going on inside the system," Victor Cha, a former Korea specialist on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, told CNN.

For Cha, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the moves under way in North Korea may signal a shift in leadership styles for the new young leader. "All these actions being taken against the military by (Kim Jong Un) clearly show that they are trying to take some power away from the military, and give it back to (the ruling) party," Cha said.

Under Kim Jong Il, North Korea followed a "military first" policy in which the military was given a lot of business concessions, and had a financial stake in many sectors of the North Korean economy such as mining, and its relations with China. In a country suffering chronic food shortages and famine, the military has also benefited from the government's diversion of food aid to the military ranks.

North Korea watchers were taken somewhat by surprise earlier this year when Ri Yong Ho, a senior general in the North Korean military, was purged from his high position. Ri, the key military figure visibly near Kim Jong Un in the days following his father's death in December, was seen by many to have been one of the generals Kim Jong Il designated to guide his son through the leadership transition. Analysts who follow the situation closely see a possible situation in the works where the new leader is attempting to bring the ruling Workers Party back to a position of economic prominence in the country – much like his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the country's founder. But pulling that off successfully may pose a challenge for the younger Kim.

More http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/1...e-north-korea/

Originally Posted by waltky

Granny wants to know what dey doin', what's goin' on?...

Granny can find out the secret by peeping into the bedroom, but hopefully the goin' on won't be interrupted midway especially if they find a monkey staring through the window on Halloween day.

Granny says purt soon dey gonna be flingin' one o' dem missiles over here...

Report: North Korea upgrading rocket launch site
February 14, 2013 WASHINGTON — North Korea is upgrading one of its two major missile launch sites, apparently to handle much bigger rockets, and some design features suggest it is getting help from Iran, a U.S. research institute said Thursday.

A successful satellite launch in December, and a nuclear test on Tuesday, both in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, have intensified concern that North Korea is moving toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on an intercontinental missile. An analysis written for 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, indicates that North Korea has made significant progress since October in constructing a new launchpad and other facilities at Tonghae, on the country's northeast coast. The assessment is based on commercial satellite photos, the latest taken in January.

It says design features, including a flame trench covering that protects large rockets from the hot exhaust gases they emit on takeoff, is similar to one at a launch complex in Semnan, Iran, and hasn't been used by the North before. The analysis also identifies activity at an older launchpad at Tonghae, last used for a long-range rocket in 2009, but says it's unclear if that indicates preparations for another launch there. The North's most recent long-range launches - a failed attempt to put a satellite into space atop an Unha-2 rocket in April, then a successful effort in December - were conducted at a newer site, Sohae, on the west coast.

38 North estimates that construction at Tonghae's new launch pad could be completed by 2016. It says tanks installed last fall into support buildings that would be used to store fuel propellant prior to a launch would be big enough for rockets three or four times larger than the Unha. Assessing the intentions of North Korea's secretive regime and the nation's technical capabilities is notoriously difficult. Analysts doubt the North has yet mastered how to miniaturize a nuclear device to mount on a long-range missile and attain its goal of being able to directly threaten the United States. "This analysis is just another piece of the puzzle indicating North Korea's intention to field increasingly capable long-range missiles able to carry nuclear warheads," said Joel Wit, a former State Department official and editor of 38 North.

He said it hinted at "the cozy relationship between the North and Iran as both move forward with developing weapons of mass destruction." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday drew a direct connection between North Korea and Iran, saying both cases demonstrated the need for international resolve against proliferation threats. He did not touch on whether they could be cooperating on missile and nuclear development.

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Seoul has missile capable of hitting N Korean leaders
Fri, Feb 15, 2013 - South Korea yesterday unveiled a cruise missile that it said can hit the office of North Korea’s leaders, trying to address concerns that it is technologically behind its unpredictable rival, which this week conducted its third nuclear test.

South Korean officials declined to say the exact range of the missile, but said it could hit targets anywhere in North Korea. The Defense Ministry released video footage of the missiles being launched from destroyers and submarines striking mock targets. The weapon was previewed in April last year and officials said deployment was now complete. “The cruise missile being unveiled today is a precision-guided weapon that can identify and strike the window of the office of North Korea’s leadership,” ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said told reporters.

North Korea has forged ahead with long-range missile development, launching a rocket in December last year that put a satellite into orbit. The North’s ultimate aim, Washington believes, is to design an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could hit the US. North Korea, which accuses the US and its “puppet,” South Korea, of war-mongering on an almost daily basis, is likely to respond angrily to South Korea flexing its muscles.

North Korea carried out its third nuclear test on Tuesday, drawing condemnation from around the world. The test and the threat of more unspecified actions from Pyongyang have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the South prepares to inaugurate a new president on Feb. 25. “The situation prevailing on the Korean Peninsula at present is so serious that even a slight accidental case may lead to an all-out war which can disturb the whole region,” North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worl.../15/2003554919

Originally Posted by waltky

Granny says purt soon dey gonna be flingin' one o' dem missiles over here...

Grandpa says purt soon dey gonna be flingin' one o' dem missiles over China too...

"Some in Beijing, recalling China’s past history with Russia and Vietnam, worry that North Korean nuclear weapons might even one day pose a threat to China."

Please read the article headlined "Global Insights: Parsing China’s North Korea Policy" at http://missilethreat.com/global-insi...-korea-policy/

Granny says dat lil' Kim is cruisin' fer a bruisin'...

North Korea annuls pacts with South, cuts hotline
March 8, 2013 — North Korea said Friday that it was scrapping a non-aggression pact and all other agreements aimed at easing tensions with South Korea and severing their emergency hotline.

The announcement in state media was released a day after the UN Security Council imposed more sanctions on the communist country over its third nuclear test and North Korea threatened the United States with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Pyongyang "abrogates all agreements on non-aggressions reached between the North and the South," state media quoted the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying.

The communications channel set up in the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone would be cut immediately, a committee statement said. "This channel can no longer perform its mission due to the prevailing grave situation," it said. The tone from North Korea has become increasingly belligerent since the international condemnation of its February 12 nuclear test. On Wednesday, it threatened to revoke the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. In 2009, North Korea also declared that all reconciliation agreements between it and its capitalist neighbor were void.

The two countries signed a non-aggression pact in 1991 that called for the peaceful settlement of their disagreements and the prevention of military clashes. North Korea's rhetoric has risen with the more recent tensions. On Friday, it called joint US-South Korean military exercises now being conducted "open acts of aggression" and "a vivid expression of wanton violation of all the agreements on non-aggression reached between the North and the South." "The frozen North-South relations have gone so far beyond the danger line that they are no longer repairable and an extremely dangerous situation is prevailing on the Korean Peninsula, where a nuclear war may break out right now," the committee statement read.

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/...tline-1.211009

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North Korea stops answering hotline with South
March 11, 2013 — As threatened, North Korea stopped answering a two-way hotline in the Demilitarized Zone on Monday, symbolically marking its decision to no longer recognize the armistice that ended the Korean War almost 60 years ago.

However, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said the North still is using a separate military communication line to process the 1,000 South Koreans who commute regularly across the DMZ to the Kaesong Industrial Complex, where they work with 40,000 North Koreans despite a recent flurry of threats from both countries to wipe each other off the map. Technically, officials say, one country cannot unilaterally void the armistice that has, with mixed results, governed the fragile peace on the peninsula since it was signed July 27, 1953. U.S. Forces Korea downplayed the DMZ hotline going dead.

In response to the North’s threats to that effect last week, USFK spokeswoman Jennifer Buschick said, “Reports of [North Korea] cutting off communications are not unusual, and are frequently experienced during exercise periods. “When we place a call on the direct phone line and [North Korea] does not answer, we have no way of knowing if [the North] has actually disconnected the phone line or are just not answering the phone,” she said.

The latest round of threats from North Korea was prompted by the U.N. Security Council’s decision to slap additional sanctions on the rogue country for its third nuclear test on Feb. 12, and the U.S. and South Korean militaries’ largest annual joint exercises, involving thousands of troops. Monday was the start of Key Resolve, the second of the two overlapping exercises. Despite allied assurances the exercises were defensive in nature, North Korean officials have labeled Foal Eagle and Key Resolve as provocative practices for an attack on the cloistered country, and violations of the armistice.

By no longer recognizing the pact, a pro-North website said, “This means that [North Korea] is no longer bound by the armistice or the [North-South] pacts and is free to strike back at the U.S. imperialists and South Korean puppets at any time.” Despite the bluster, the North has on a number of occasions in recent years dismissed the armistice as a meaningless piece of paper. It has repeatedly shown little allegiance to the spirit of the pact. In 2010, North Korea sank a South Korean warship and launched an artillery attack on an island just south of the maritime border between the two countries, leaving 50 people dead.

Source

Originally Posted by waltky

Granny says dat lil' Kim is cruisin' fer a bruisin'...

Grandpa says dat untamed dog may lead its idiotic master by the nose to the edge of the abyss...