North Korea Could Opt For Land Assault

Remember North Korea? Kind of forgotten in an euphoric stock market and GM bankruptcy, but according to this article they may be plotting a land war.

North Korea could opt for devastating land assault
(5/29/09, AP via Breitbart.com):

"North Korea's nuclear threats are grabbing the world's attention. But if the North were to strike South Korea today, it would probably first try to savage Seoul with the men and missiles of its huge conventional army.

"The attack might well begin with artillery and missiles capable of hitting South Korea's capital with little or no warning. North Korea's vast cadre of commandos could try to infiltrate and cause chaos while the South tried to respond."

The scary thing is that Seoul is only 32 miles away from the DMZ (demilitarized zone).

"Complicating the defensive calculations of the South and its American allies is the immutable fact that Seoul, with a population of about 10 million, lies about 35 miles south of the DMZ—within easy range of much of the North's artillery."

Military experts believe North Korea doesn't have a chance of winning. But that's beside the point. First, South Korea's capital will be reduced to rubbles way before North Korea surrenders (if ever). Second, North Korea, I think, may want to lose. Civilian casualties usually means very little to a dictator.

If the US does the naval blockade, as it threatens to do under the Proliferation Security Initiative, it is an act of war, to which North Korea could respond. I repeat: Blockade is an act of war.

According to San Francisco Chronicle article, North Korea has said the following:

""The U.S.-led PSI is now inching close to an extreme phase where a war may break out any moment," said the Korean Central News Agency, blasting South Korea for what it called "blindly yielding to its master as it is steeped in sycophancy and submission to the marrow of its bones.""

And this from Singapore's Strait Times:
Long-range missile readied (6/2/09):

"NORTH Korea appears to have transported a long-range missile to a base in the west of the country in preparation for a possible launch, US defense officials said on Monday.

"The presumed ballistic missile was moved to a newly built base in Dongchang-ri on the northwestern coast, two defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters."

Dongchang-ri is near the Chinese border.

"Any launch would likely be weeks away given North Korea's technical capacity, one of the officials said. 'It'll take a while for North Korea to put anything together,' he said."

I hope he is right.

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