This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: North Korea

  • North Korea executes dear uncle

    Pinto Nag sends us the news that Kim Jong Un, otherwise known around here as NDtBF, had his uncle, Jang Song Thaek. He had a long string of charges against him, and he sounds like he was a good guy to party with, well, maybe not in North Korea, but somewhere else, maybe;

    On Monday, the isolated regime announced that Jang had been dismissed from his vaunted official post for a string of criminal acts, including corruption, womanizing and drug-taking.

    “All the crimes committed by the accused were proved in the course of hearing and were admitted by him,” KCNA stated on Thursday — in a report that claimed that “people throughout the country broke in to angry shouts” when they heard of Jang’s alleged crimes.

    The over-the-top report goes on to call Jang “despicable human scum.”

    Well, at least he admitted to his crimes – oh, yeah – they thought he was trying to overthrow NDtBF, too. Like someone would make a conscious decision to be in charge of that gigantic jug-f**k.

  • Merrill Newman apologizes for “indelible crimes”

    The Associated Press reports that Merrill Newman, the 85-year-old Korean War veteran who was kidnapped by the North Korean government as he was leaving that country, apologized to the government for some unclear reasons;

    “I have been guilty of a long list of indelible crimes against DPRK government and Korean people,” Newman purportedly wrote in a four-page statement, adding: “Please forgive me.”

    The statement, carried in the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, said the war veteran allegedly attempted to meet with any surviving soldiers he had trained during the Korean War to fight North Korea, and that he admitted to killing civilians and brought an e-book criticizing North Korea. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

    It wasn’t clear what would happen to Newman now. But the statement alleges that Newman says if he goes back to the U.S. he will tell the truth about the country — a possible indication that Newman could be released.

    Yeah, well, we know he was forced to make the statement, so he did what he was told, now NDtBFer should let him go and stop bullying him.

  • Korean War vet detained in North Korean wonderland

    Several of you have sent us the link to an article about an 85-year-old Korean War vet, Merrill Newman, who went to experience the wonderful Stalinist paradise that is North Korea, but surprisingly, after government officials removed him from his return flight, no one has seen or heard from him since;

    The son said that, according to his father’s traveling companion, Newman earlier had a “difficult” discussion with North Korean officials about his experiences during the 1950-53 war between U.S.-led United Nations forces and North Korea and ally China. That war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically at war. The war is still an important part of North Korean propaganda, which regularly accuses Washington and Seoul of trying to bring down its political system — statements analysts believe are aimed in part at shoring up domestic support for young leader Kim Jong Un.

    I guess this is the first time it ever happened, otherwise, why would the vet travel to a country that he fought against and have a “difficult discussion” with one of the current residents. I’m not saying that it was his fault, but he should have put a little more thought into the trip.

    From Fox News;

    Jeffrey Newman said his father was a constant traveler but had always wanted to visit North Korea, and took lessons in the language before leaving on the nine-day trip.

    “This has been a lifelong dream of his,” Jeffrey Newman said.

    Newman said he believed the desire for the trip came from the three years his father spent as an infantry officer in the Korean war, but said Merrill Newman never talked about his service.

    Jeffrey Newman said he’d had received postcards from his father saying the trip was going well, but on the last day of the tour, according to Hamrdla, Merrill Newman met with North Korean officials and he came away with some uneasy feelings.

    While I hope this is resolved soon, I also hope that others who think that going to North Korea is a good idea consider this before going. Did you really leave anything there worth the trip?

  • About the USS Pueblo . . . .

    As you might recall, the USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968.

    The crew was released some 11 months later – after going through hell in captivity.  But the North Korean government never did release the ship.

    The ship was initially taken to Wonson on North Korea’s east coast.  But some time in the late 1990s, it was towed around the Korean peninsula and taken to Korea’s west coast.

    For a while, it apparently disappeared from sight.  But it’s now reappeared.

    Apparently it’s been towed up the Pothong River to Pyongyang.  According to an article at Breitbart.com,

    it’s expected to be be unveiled this week as the centerpiece of a renovated war museum to commemorate what North Korea calls “Victory Day,” the 60th anniversary this Saturday of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities in the Korean War.

    Great.  Just freaking great.

    Hopefully ND:tBF will visit it.  And when he does, I hope he finds a wet and slippery spot on the deck – then slips, falls, and busts his fat ass.

     

  • Sixty-Three Years Ago Today

    On 25 June 1950 – at dawn – forces of the Korean People’s Army attacked South Korea. There had been skirmishes along the 38th parallel previously. However, this time the North Korean forces pushed south in an attempt to conquer South Korea and forcibly unify the peninsula under communist rule.

    Hostilities were to last 3 years, 1 month, and 3 days. The war would claim between 500,000 and 950,000 total KIA (both sides); in excess of 1,200,000 individuals would be WIA.

    The war technically has never ended. The agreement to stop fighting in July 1953 was an armistice, not a permanent settlement. A peace treaty formally ending the war has never been signed.

    Korea was the first “hot flare” of the Cold War – though not the last – and was also arguably the most intense. (Vietnam claimed more lives, but US combat operations there were spread over roughly 14 years vice 3.) It was the only Cold War conflict that saw large-scale direct combat between US and Soviet or Chinese forces. That experience was sobering for both sides, and was not repeated again during the Cold War.

    Korea is often called “the forgotten war”, though recently it has received more recognition. However, those who fought there – or who have served there – know vividly the war’s impact. It’s still felt today with each inane act of ND:tBF and the rest of North Korea’s leadership.

    The US was woefully unprepared when the Korean War began; we struggled mightily the first few weeks. It was very nearly a defeat for the US and the free world.

    If nothing else, that’s a lesson from the Korean War we should remember.

  • Forty-Four Years: In Memoriam

    We call the period between the end of World War II and the end of the Soviet Union the “Cold War”.  And in truth, it wasn’t an all-out, no-holds-barred global fight like World War II.

    But it wasn’t always particularly “cold”, either.

    The US and USSR (through allies) engaged in numerous wars by proxy throughout that period.  Korea, French Indochina, the Hukbalapap Rebellion in the Philippines, Quemoy/Matsu, the Arab-Israeli Wars, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Congo, Angola, Afghanistan, Grenada – the number of proxy conflicts, as well as casualties, were extensive.

    Even disregarding proxy wars, direct hostile fire incidents involving US and/or either Soviet or Soviet-client forces were not unknown.  Some such incidents are reasonably well-known:  the 1968 seizure of the USS Pueblo; the murder of MAJ Arthur Nicholson in East Germany in 1985; the 1976 Panmunjom Ax Murder Incident; the 1983 downing of KAL-007.  But our collective memory for many if not most such incidents has faded to the point that most are remembered only dimly, if at all.

    Such Cold War hostile fire incidents were far more common than most people realize.  The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office maintains a list of 126 US personnel still unaccounted for due to 14 Cold War aircraft losses.  Two of these incidents (and 18 of the personnel still unaccounted for) were apparently not due to hostile action – but the other twelve aircraft and 108 personnel were indeed lost due to hostile fire.  And these 14 incidents are nowhere near a complete list of even Cold War aerial hostile fire incidents; it records only those where US personnel are still missing and formally unaccounted for.  A more comprehensive list of such Cold War aerial hostile fire incidents may be found here.  There were also numerous other hostile incidents on ground and at sea.

    Perhaps the deadliest single Cold War hostile fire incident involving US forces is today virtually unknown.  Like the USS Pueblo, it was the result of hostile action by a Soviet client – North Korea – and involved the US Navy.  But unlike the USS Pueblo, no US survivors returned.

    The 44th anniversary of that incident occurs shortly before midnight EDT tonight.

    (more…)

  • Jeremi Suri, NY Times; Bomb North Korea before it’s too late

    That’s the title of a New York Times op/ed piece today, in which Jeremi Suri, University of Texas history professor, advocates for attacking North Korea;

    President Obama should state clearly and forthrightly that this is an act of self-defense in response to explicit threats from North Korea and clear evidence of a prepared weapon. He should give the leaders of South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan advance notice before acting. And he should explain that this is a limited defensive strike on a military target — an operation that poses no threat to civilians — and that America does not intend to bring about regime change. The purpose is to neutralize a clear and present danger. That is all.

    Yeah, it sounds like a hippie/peacenik version of the Bush Doctrine, you know that doctrine that was trashed repeatedly though the Iraq War days by hippies and peaceniks. Personally, I have no problem with pre-emptive war with a country that is a threat to the United States and our citizens, but North Korea is no such threat. They’ve gotten very good at saber-rattling in service to begging for hand-outs from the US, especially during Democrat Administrations.

    If anyone needs a cruise missile up their tailpipe, it’s Iran and plenty of evidence exists that would justify that. But I don’t see the New York Times or Professor Suri advocating for that particular course of action. I would guess because that war wouldn’t be so easy to predict the eventual outcome, while one with North Korea would be relatively easy to predict – after some public outrage from ND;tBF, he’s acquiesce to some free fuel oil and bags of money, all personally delivered by Jimmy Carter, Dennis Rodman, or Jesse Jackson, Sr.

    It’s blather like this that only reinforces me belief that the situation with North Korea is just media-driven over blown blather to distract us from what is going on in Congress. There’s nothing the media would like more than to set up Obama as a real war time President, since he’s confounded their attempts to portray him as such in the war against terror.

    But, an well-timed, well-coordinated attack on Iran would actually prevent a rogue from joining the nuclear club. Iran is sponsoring and supporting terrorism worldwide as well as actively fighting against American troops and is a destabilizing influence in the Middle East where an actual attack would provide long term results, so which makes more sense – North Korea or Iran – as a target?

  • About That “Accidental Declassification” . . . .

    Here’s an update concerning that Congressional testimony about North Korean missiles and nuclear warheads.

    Jonn’s article Friday indicated that GEN Martin Dempsey, CJCS, was “taken by surprise” by the revelation by Congressman Doug Lamborn that North Korea may possess low-reliability nuclear warheads for long-range missiles.  That revelation was apparently the unclassified conclusion of a DIA assessment report.

    Congressional staffers had confirmed via classified e-mail exchange with DIA personnel that the statement was indeed unclassified.  Pentagon sources later claimed the line had been “mistakenly declassified”.

    Well, that may or may not be true.  But it turns out that classification questions might not have been the only reason that GEN Dempsey was shocked to hear it made in a public forum.  According to the Army Times,

    In a new twist, a House source tells [Military Times sister publication] Defense News that a DIA congressional liaison told a senior House Armed Services Committee aide that while the finding was unclassified, the Obama administration wanted to keep it under wraps. (emphasis added)

    . . .

    During the email exchange with the senior House Armed Services subcommittee professional staffer, the DIA legislative liaison told him, in the House aide’s words: “The administration didn’t want this getting out.” (emphasis added)

    The Administration has, quite predictably, backed away from the DIA assessment of North Korean nuclear capabilities.  The DNI has stated that “the DIA finding is not shared by the other U.S. intelligence agencies”, while a Pentagon spokesman has said that it would be “inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed, or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced in the passage.”

    That may be true.  But about the latter, I’ll observe the following:  neither had the US prior to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Trinity was a ground-based test of a non-weaponized nuclear device – not an operational test of a deliverable bomb.

    Stay tuned.  This one could get quite interesting.