North Korea Threatens War

[DavidS]

North Korea Threatens 'War' Over Satellite Shootdown

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea ordered its armed forces on standby and warned Monday it will retaliate against anyone seeking to block its planned satellite launch, a launch many fear will disguise a missile test.
The threat came hours before United States and South Korea kicked off annual war games involving tens of thousands of troops, which the communist nation has condemned as preparations for an invasion.
The joint drills across South Korea began as concerns mounted that Pyongyang could be gearing up to test-fire a long-range missile capable of reaching U.S. territory. North Korea says it plans to launch a communications satellite, but neighboring governments believe it is a cover for a missile test.
U.S. and Japanese officials have suggested they could shoot down a North Korean missile if necessary.
"If the enemies recklessly opt for intercepting our satellite, our revolutionary armed forces will launch without hesitation a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds" of the U.S., Japan and South Korea, the general staff of the North's military said in a statement.
"Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war," said the statement, carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.
The North's military ordered all personnel to "be fully combat ready" so that they could "deal merciless retaliatory blows" at the enemy, KCNA said in a separate dispatch.
North Korea also said it would cut off a military hotline with the South during the 12-day exercises, leaving the sides without any means of communication amid heightened tensions.

 

[Toro]

Its more likely that with the global economy in a crunch, the demand for illicit narcotics - the junta's biggest hard currency earner - has fallen, and now they're trying to blackmail for more money.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

Oooooh they scary...

NOT.

 

[xotoxi]

North Korea makes me Il.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Maybe they figure America's too cash-strapped and spread thin to effectively wage war against them. They'd be wrong, of course, but it would certainly suck to have yet another war to wage and yet another nation to rebuild after we destroy it. Warfare isn't the pillaging and plundering it used to be. Now it's babysitting you pay to do.

 

[waltky]

North Korean Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement...

Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement in North Korea capabilities: U.S.
Jan 05 2017 | WASHINGTON - The United States said on Thursday North Korea had demonstrated a "qualitative" improvement in its nuclear and missile capabilities after an unprecedented level of tests last year, showing the needed to sustain pressure on Pyongyang to bring it back to disarmament negotiations.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a joint news conference after a meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts that North Korea had conducted 24 missile tests in the past year, as well as two nuclear tests, and learned from each one. "Even a so-called failure is progress because ... they apply what they have learned to their technology and to the next test. And in our assessment, we have a qualitative improvement in their capabilities in the past year as a result of this unprecedented level of activity," he said. "With every passing day the threat does get more acute," Blinken said, and referred to comments by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, on Sunday that his country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) of a kind that could someday hit the United States.

Blinken said it was vital for the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries to boost cooperation to defend against the threat. "At the same time, it's absolutely vitally important that we exercise sustained, comprehensive pressure on North Korea to get it to stop these programs, to come back to the negotiating table, and to engage in good faith on denuclearization," Blinken said, referring to international sanctions. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump responded on Monday to Kim's comments on an ICBM test by declaring in a tweet that "It won't happen!" Experts say preventing such a test is far easier said than done, and Trump gave no indication what new steps he might take to roll back North Korea's weapons programs after he takes office on Jan. 20, something successive U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, have failed to do.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the Masikryong ski competition-2016 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)​

Former U.S. officials and other experts say the United States essentially had two options when it came to trying to curb North Korea's fast-expanding nuclear and missile programs - negotiate or take military action. Neither path offers certain success and the military option is fraught with huge dangers, especially for Japan and South Korea, given their close proximity to North Korea. Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama said Tokyo was watching closely to see what kind of Asia policy Trump would follow, but did not expect major changes. "Will it be exactly the same as we have it now? I doubt it. But basically, I don’t see the direction as changing in a significant way,” he told the news conference, adding that the U.S. security treaties with Tokyo and Seoul were an important pillar of U.S. policy.

Blinken said an effective sanctions campaign required "determination" and "patience." "I believe that as long as we sustain it and build on it, it will have an effect," he said. In another tweet on Monday, Trump said North Korea's neighbor and only ally, China, was not helping to contain Pyongyang - despite Beijing's support for successive rounds of U.N. sanctions. Blinken said Washington had seen positive signs from China in recent weeks in implementing new restrictions on coal imports from North Korea, but added: "That needs to be sustained ... to be carried forward."

Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement in North Korea capabilities: U.S.

See also:

Kim Jong Un speech indicates more 'mass purges' for North Korea
Jan. 4, 2017 - A South Korean think tank report states Kim’s apologetic remarks could mean more dismissals of senior officials.

A speech Kim Jong Un gave on New Year's Day has been noted for its emphasis on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. But a more in-depth analysis of the statement shows Kim may be signaling readiness to engage in more purges of senior officials, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Wednesday. Kim, who may have been responsible for a record number of purges and executions since fully assuming power after 2011, could be launching a "purification campaign," according to Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy.

The signs came from Kim himself who made an unprecedented bow during the speech after saying he sends the "North Korean people warm greetings with a solemn heart and respectfully conveys the glory and blessings of a hopeful New Year." According to the South Korean government think tank, Kim's speech contained elements of "self-criticism" that warn of a campaign of purges, part of a larger plan to secure his goal of being recognized as a leader of a nuclear weapons state, despite heavy sanctions against the country.

During the speech, Kim said he blamed himself for the "pain and regret" owing to past failures and said that he did not have the "wherewithal" to meet his goals. According to the think tank report, the North Korean leader was partly motivated to show a new approach to policy as the population is "burdened by a chronic economic downturn, and complaints [about the regime] are reaching a climax."

But despite sanctions, Kim does not plan to give up on nuclear weapons development, the report states. It is likely, then, Kim is to resolve some of the domestic tension by pursuing "mass purges" of senior officials and "swamp draining." The speech is a forewarning, according to the report. The paper also states North Korea could engage in major provocations during annual U.S.-South Korea military drills around March and again in August or September.

Kim Jong Un speech indicates more 'mass purges' for North Korea

 

[Ringel05]

North Korean Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement...

Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement in North Korea capabilities: U.S.
Jan 05 2017 | WASHINGTON - The United States said on Thursday North Korea had demonstrated a "qualitative" improvement in its nuclear and missile capabilities after an unprecedented level of tests last year, showing the needed to sustain pressure on Pyongyang to bring it back to disarmament negotiations.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a joint news conference after a meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts that North Korea had conducted 24 missile tests in the past year, as well as two nuclear tests, and learned from each one. "Even a so-called failure is progress because ... they apply what they have learned to their technology and to the next test. And in our assessment, we have a qualitative improvement in their capabilities in the past year as a result of this unprecedented level of activity," he said. "With every passing day the threat does get more acute," Blinken said, and referred to comments by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, on Sunday that his country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) of a kind that could someday hit the United States.

Blinken said it was vital for the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries to boost cooperation to defend against the threat. "At the same time, it's absolutely vitally important that we exercise sustained, comprehensive pressure on North Korea to get it to stop these programs, to come back to the negotiating table, and to engage in good faith on denuclearization," Blinken said, referring to international sanctions. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump responded on Monday to Kim's comments on an ICBM test by declaring in a tweet that "It won't happen!" Experts say preventing such a test is far easier said than done, and Trump gave no indication what new steps he might take to roll back North Korea's weapons programs after he takes office on Jan. 20, something successive U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, have failed to do.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the Masikryong ski competition-2016 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)​

Former U.S. officials and other experts say the United States essentially had two options when it came to trying to curb North Korea's fast-expanding nuclear and missile programs - negotiate or take military action. Neither path offers certain success and the military option is fraught with huge dangers, especially for Japan and South Korea, given their close proximity to North Korea. Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama said Tokyo was watching closely to see what kind of Asia policy Trump would follow, but did not expect major changes. "Will it be exactly the same as we have it now? I doubt it. But basically, I don’t see the direction as changing in a significant way,” he told the news conference, adding that the U.S. security treaties with Tokyo and Seoul were an important pillar of U.S. policy.

Blinken said an effective sanctions campaign required "determination" and "patience." "I believe that as long as we sustain it and build on it, it will have an effect," he said. In another tweet on Monday, Trump said North Korea's neighbor and only ally, China, was not helping to contain Pyongyang - despite Beijing's support for successive rounds of U.N. sanctions. Blinken said Washington had seen positive signs from China in recent weeks in implementing new restrictions on coal imports from North Korea, but added: "That needs to be sustained ... to be carried forward."

Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement in North Korea capabilities: U.S.

See also:

Kim Jong Un speech indicates more 'mass purges' for North Korea
Jan. 4, 2017 - A South Korean think tank report states Kim’s apologetic remarks could mean more dismissals of senior officials.

A speech Kim Jong Un gave on New Year's Day has been noted for its emphasis on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. But a more in-depth analysis of the statement shows Kim may be signaling readiness to engage in more purges of senior officials, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Wednesday. Kim, who may have been responsible for a record number of purges and executions since fully assuming power after 2011, could be launching a "purification campaign," according to Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy.

The signs came from Kim himself who made an unprecedented bow during the speech after saying he sends the "North Korean people warm greetings with a solemn heart and respectfully conveys the glory and blessings of a hopeful New Year." According to the South Korean government think tank, Kim's speech contained elements of "self-criticism" that warn of a campaign of purges, part of a larger plan to secure his goal of being recognized as a leader of a nuclear weapons state, despite heavy sanctions against the country.

During the speech, Kim said he blamed himself for the "pain and regret" owing to past failures and said that he did not have the "wherewithal" to meet his goals. According to the think tank report, the North Korean leader was partly motivated to show a new approach to policy as the population is "burdened by a chronic economic downturn, and complaints [about the regime] are reaching a climax."

But despite sanctions, Kim does not plan to give up on nuclear weapons development, the report states. It is likely, then, Kim is to resolve some of the domestic tension by pursuing "mass purges" of senior officials and "swamp draining." The speech is a forewarning, according to the report. The paper also states North Korea could engage in major provocations during annual U.S.-South Korea military drills around March and again in August or September.

Kim Jong Un speech indicates more 'mass purges' for North Korea

Day of the living dead thread?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - one o' these days dat Fatboy gonna blow up California...

North Korea Could Have Missile to Strike US in 'Next Few Years'
11 Mar 2017 | A former CIA official made an alarming statement about North Korea's ability to strike the U.S. with a ballistic missile.

Bruce Klingner, a former CIA deputy division chief for Korea, said the isolated nation is closer than people realize to developing a nuclear missile that could cross the ocean and strike the U.S. "We can expect an [intercontinental ballistic missile] test this year with full capability within the next few years," Klingner told Fox News. North Korea has provoked the world by firing ballistic missiles in defiance of a United Nations Security Council resolution prohibiting the country from doing so. And those tests have sparked global fear that North Korea could soon attack foreign countries with nuclear weaponry.

In his annual address earlier this year, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un said the country was in the final stages of test-launching an "intercontinental ballistic rocket." But some, including President Trump, have said the threats were intended to make the world shiver -- but weren't based on reality. "North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!" the president tweeted in January. North Korea has so far conducted five nuclear tests, claiming success as recently as September of last year.

A TV screen at Seoul Railway Station in South Korea shows the image of a North Korean missile launch​

Instability in the region continues, as South Korea's top court has upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Many experts in the area believe that Kim Jong-un could try to capitalize on the uncertainty gripping the nation. In a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Gary Samore, former Obama White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction, testified on the global nuclear weapons environment. He called North Korea's mission to achieve a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile the "most significant and the most immediate" of new nuclear threats. "It's difficult to calculate or predict when North Korea might achieve that capability, a reliable nuclear-armed [intercontinental ballistic missile]," Samore said. "Certainly with the pace of testing they've been carrying out something in the next five to 10 years seems like a reasonable guess."

Klingner believes North Korea should be put back on the terrorist list. He told Fox News that in 2013, "Kim Jong-un was photographed in front of a map of the U.S. which appeared to show four targets for North Korean missiles -- Hawaii, San Diego, Washington D.C. and perhaps Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana." He said several four-stars generals believe North Korea already has the ability to launch nuclear-tipped missiles. "However, most experts think Pyongyang does not yet have that ability since the regime hasn't tested and demonstrated a reentry vehicle for its [intercontinental missiles]," he said.

MORE

See also:

North Korea tried to sell nuclear weapons material to make miniaturized warhead: U.N. inspectors
Saturday, March 11, 2017 - The regime of North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un tried to sell a specialized material used in the miniaturization process for nuclear warheads, according to U.N. weapons investigators, who are attempting to document the regime’s nuclear weapons program and activities.

North Korean agents tried to sell a form of lithium metal to unnamed international buyers last year, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. “The U.N. Panel of Expert’s report on North Korea provides further evidence that North Korea will stop at nothing to advance its illicit nuclear and missile programs,” said Sen. Cory Gardner, Colorado Republican, who has been instrumental in attempting to highlight Pyongyang’s nuclear proliferation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, reacts during the launch of four missiles in an undisclosed location North Korea. On Monday, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles in an apparent protest against ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.​

Experts believe the fact that North Korea is producing Lithium-6 is proof they are attempting to miniaturize nuclear warheads to place on the ICBMs they have been testing repeatedly over recent months. “Lithium-6 is ideal, not only for making tritium for boosting fission devices, but also for directly fueling advanced weapons—including thermonuclear bombs,” said Henry Sokolski, a former Pentagon official who heads the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, a Washington think tank, reported Fox News.

The Trump administration has recently deployed the THAAD missile-defense system to protect South Korea and U.S. forces in theater from a North Korean missile attack. This has angered the Chinese who are now threatening the U.S. with a first strike nuclear attack to neutralize the system.

North Korea tried to sell nuclear weapons material to make miniaturized warhead: U.N. inspectors

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

North Korea Threatens 'War' Over Satellite Shootdown

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea ordered its armed forces on standby and warned Monday it will retaliate against anyone seeking to block its planned satellite launch, a launch many fear will disguise a missile test.
The threat came hours before United States and South Korea kicked off annual war games involving tens of thousands of troops, which the communist nation has condemned as preparations for an invasion.
The joint drills across South Korea began as concerns mounted that Pyongyang could be gearing up to test-fire a long-range missile capable of reaching U.S. territory. North Korea says it plans to launch a communications satellite, but neighboring governments believe it is a cover for a missile test.
U.S. and Japanese officials have suggested they could shoot down a North Korean missile if necessary.
"If the enemies recklessly opt for intercepting our satellite, our revolutionary armed forces will launch without hesitation a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds" of the U.S., Japan and South Korea, the general staff of the North's military said in a statement.
"Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war," said the statement, carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.
The North's military ordered all personnel to "be fully combat ready" so that they could "deal merciless retaliatory blows" at the enemy, KCNA said in a separate dispatch.
North Korea also said it would cut off a military hotline with the South during the 12-day exercises, leaving the sides without any means of communication amid heightened tensions.

Are you a Chinese Communist, David? I noticed your avatar.
No Questions Asked at China’s Empire State Building Lighting

NK is a diversion. At most they maybe used to launch a Super EMP at us (or Iran may do it from their ship off our coast - in international waters) but the nuclear Strike that Russia is planning against us will be done by them, not NK. I do expect the Chinese to assist as they are already doing drill in the SCS to set up the scenario that would draw the US into war with China. The invasion of Taiwan.

 

[waltky]

Granny says Fatboy cruisin' fer a bruisin'...

North Korea preparing for an all out war: Satellite images from nuclear test site records intense activity
Monday 27th March, 2017 | WASHINGTON, U.S. - Fresh images from North Korea’s nuclear test sites have revealed that the reclusive nation is preparing to launch more nuclear missiles.

Satellite imagery captured by 38 North, a blog run by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said that the worrying new images from space show intense activity at the country’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site. The photos showed that a batch of four-five vehicles were at the entrance to the North Portal of the site. The increased activity has further shored up speculations that the country might be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile, as it had announced earlier this year. The intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of travelling 10,000 kms and could strike the U.S. - a threat that the country has made against America several times already. Further, the think tank revealed that a pile of construction material was detected in a nearby storage lot. The group also explained that even though the piles looked apparently undisturbed compared to the previous images - if it includes sand and aggregate, it could be mixed with concrete and then used to plug the tunnel to prevent a nuclear explosion from escaping into the atmosphere.

Analysts Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jack Liu said in the report, “If these vehicles are related to test preparations, they could be involved in the installation of instrumentation or even a nuclear device. However, the evidence is not definitive, therefore they may be there for other purposes as well.” Reports had recently specified that North Korea might be preparing for it sixth nuclear experiment, to coincide with its upcoming major national holidays, such as the April 15 birthday of the country’s late founding father Kim Il-sung and the April 25 anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People’s Army. Over the last few weeks, satellite imagery has pointed to extensive activities at the Punggye site, including vehicles, personnel and equipment, as well as two tunnel entrances being dug out. The U.S. meanwhile is also maintaining the presence of WC-135 aircraft around the peninsula, tasked with air sampling in case of an underground test.

Fatboy gives general piggyback ride​

According to officials in Seoul and Washington, preparations in North Korea appear to be completed and the explosion may take place at any time. The South Korean military said that it has yet to discover signs that fission devices, monitoring equipment or other critical components have been installed. Since earlier this month, South Korea and the U.S. have been staging annual joint drills involving top U.S. strategic assets such as F-35B stealth fighters, B-1B nuclear bomber, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarine, while applying contingency scenarios for preemptive strikes and a removal of the North Korean leadership. On Sunday, the North Korean military’s general staff issued a statement via state media threatening to conduct its “own version of special operations and preemptive attacks to crush” the joint exercises without any warning.

Satellites, that for weeks now have observed extensive activity on the surface, including vehicles, personnel and equipment, as well as two tunnel entrances being dug out - show that activity has now stopped. This, the report pointed was “a similar change in the pattern also observed before previous tests, indicating all final preparations were now complete.” Late last week, the South Korean government said in a statement on Friday that a test can happen as soon as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un orders it. Lee Duk-haeng, spokesman for South Korea’s the Ministry of Unification, said, “It is assessed that North Korea is ready to carry out a nuclear test anytime if its leadership decides to do so. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities evaluate that North Korea is ready to carry out a nuclear test anytime on the leadership’s decision.” U.S. officials have said that North Korea also continues to move equipment and personnel that could be used to launch ballistic missiles.

North Korea preparing for an all out war Satellite images from nuclear test site records intense activity

 

[Bleipriester]

How to prevent your country from being nuked:

Don´t threaten a country with nuclear warfare.
.