How Should The Us And South Korea Respond To The North Korean Provocation
How Should the US and South Korea Respond to the North Korean Provocation
The biggest news story is the account of the North Korean artillery bombardment of the island of Yeonoyeong which is located close to the border. This is the second recorded act of North Korean aggression in the last year. Several months ago they were accused of sinking the South Korean naval vessel known as the Cheonan. The North Korean government vehemently denies the sinking but an international team investigated the wreckage of the sunken vessel and determined that it was in fact sunk by a torpedo. There were about 49 South Korean sailors killed in the Cheonan incident and 4 were killed in the artillery barrage.
The biggest question in my mind is what is the agenda of the North Korean government by these provocative actions? I believe that they want to push the envelope enough to get the United States to sit down with them at the negotiating table. The people of that country are starving even though North Korea spends billions on maintaining and equipping a large army and developing weapons of mass destruction. President Kim may have the intention of forcing the issue until the US will agree to his terms. On the other hand there is a power shift occurring in North Korea and these incidents may be designed to set the tone for the new dictator. In any event these actions must be brought under control. It is obvious that the North Korean government wont discontinue these actions on its own so I feel that the time is at hand that we must take some type of strong retaliatory action.
The Chinese government was instrumental in blocking any retaliatory action after the sinking of the Cheonan and we allowed it to pass, but now the North Korean government has set a precedent which cant be ignored. If we dont make some type of strong stand I am afraid that the violence will continue and escalate in intensity with each subsequent incidence.
There were civilians wounded in the latest attack even though the population of the Island is largely military. This shows that the North Koreans are getting desperate for more attention. The South Korean army retaliated with a counter artillery attack and the gunfire supposedly lasted for about an hour. I feel that the South Korean government should have taken advantage of this opportunity to destroy some of the North Korean military installations which are located close to the DMZ.
In doing so they would have sent the North Koreans a definite message that any more provocation would be met with more deadly provocation. Since violence seems to be the language that the North Koreans understand it may just be the correct answer to the situation.
The North Koreans say that the artillery was fired in response to the South Korean army firing artillery across the border into their country. I was once stationed in South Korea as an army artilleryman and I can tell you that is just a flat out unequivocal lie. Whenever artillery is fired in Korea there are many redundant safety mechanisms in place which are designed specifically to prevent this from happening. Live artillery is seldom fired in close proximity to the border during training exercises.
We are attempting to set the example with the right diplomatic response but diplomacy is
not always the right answer. North Korea will respect diplomacy when they understand that we will not hesitate to use force. Military Ring Express
The biggest news story is the account of the North Korean artillery bombardment of the island of Yeonoyeong which is located close to the border. This is the second recorded act of North Korean aggression in the last year. Several months ago they were accused of sinking the South Korean naval vessel known as the Cheonan. The North Korean government vehemently denies the sinking but an international team investigated the wreckage of the sunken vessel and determined that it was in fact sunk by a torpedo. There were about 49 South Korean sailors killed in the Cheonan incident and 4 were killed in the artillery barrage.
The biggest question in my mind is what is the agenda of the North Korean government by these provocative actions? I believe that they want to push the envelope enough to get the United States to sit down with them at the negotiating table. The people of that country are starving even though North Korea spends billions on maintaining and equipping a large army and developing weapons of mass destruction. President Kim may have the intention of forcing the issue until the US will agree to his terms. On the other hand there is a power shift occurring in North Korea and these incidents may be designed to set the tone for the new dictator. In any event these actions must be brought under control. It is obvious that the North Korean government wont discontinue these actions on its own so I feel that the time is at hand that we must take some type of strong retaliatory action.
The Chinese government was instrumental in blocking any retaliatory action after the sinking of the Cheonan and we allowed it to pass, but now the North Korean government has set a precedent which cant be ignored. If we dont make some type of strong stand I am afraid that the violence will continue and escalate in intensity with each subsequent incidence.
There were civilians wounded in the latest attack even though the population of the Island is largely military. This shows that the North Koreans are getting desperate for more attention. The South Korean army retaliated with a counter artillery attack and the gunfire supposedly lasted for about an hour. I feel that the South Korean government should have taken advantage of this opportunity to destroy some of the North Korean military installations which are located close to the DMZ.
In doing so they would have sent the North Koreans a definite message that any more provocation would be met with more deadly provocation. Since violence seems to be the language that the North Koreans understand it may just be the correct answer to the situation.
The North Koreans say that the artillery was fired in response to the South Korean army firing artillery across the border into their country. I was once stationed in South Korea as an army artilleryman and I can tell you that is just a flat out unequivocal lie. Whenever artillery is fired in Korea there are many redundant safety mechanisms in place which are designed specifically to prevent this from happening. Live artillery is seldom fired in close proximity to the border during training exercises.
We are attempting to set the example with the right diplomatic response but diplomacy is
not always the right answer. North Korea will respect diplomacy when they understand that we will not hesitate to use force. Military Ring Express