North Korea, what should be done?

If anything?

Published on February 26, 2005 By Draginol In North Korea

So let's put all recriminations aside about what Clinton did or Bush did. What should be done, if anything, about North Korea?

Comments (Page 2)

drmiler

on Feb 27, 2005

I say we work on getting Kim Jung II assasinated.

This plan certainly worked on Fidel Castro. You guys have been watching too much James Bond.

Yeah but at the time that was tried the US did not have a sniper program. It was not reconstituted from WW2 till the early 70's

Gollum

on Feb 27, 2005

welcome to the great unwashed.

RightCowLeftCoast

on Feb 28, 2005

Kim Jong Il is small potatoes compared to what's on the horizon.

This is true, but that doesn't change the problem of DPRK. For the PRC has had its problems with, what some have considered its proxy. Due to economic mismanagement DPRK has become a liability to the PRC. The PRC is constantly dealing with refuges from DPRK and thus providing a minor strain that Beijing would like to do without. And thus why DPRK is trying to play both sides of the table.

They are attempting to be nice to the ROK (which they are still officially at war with (there was no peace treaty signed at the end of hostilities)) to provide capital to its beligered economy, and at the same time trying to play tough to extract international aid and assistance from the US in particular (as they did in the 90's). This way they can continue to spend as high as 25% of the GDP on a large military in the hope of one day uniting the Korean Peninsula under their rule (which they almost did, if it wasn't for the UN mandated US-led Force (which the US and ROK forces still technically operate under on the Korean Peninsula (for the ROK was created by a UN mandated election which DPRK didn't participate in))).

As for what I think we should do, there are multiple options which we can attempt. By cutting off their aid, we have threatened DPRK with starvation. Where as currently its self imposed, since most food and medical aid which we currently provide is tranfered to support their military. Thus, in a possible scenario they can either roll-over and accept our demands and thus regain the aid which we provide; or they can launch an attack across the DMZ in a desporate attempt to force our position and thus gain territory and regain aid that we had cut off (if they are successful, and if we sue for peace).

We can continue down our current course and continue with threatened nuclear armarment, and have more stalemate. Given enough time and clandesticly provided material, DPRK will eventually gain the capability that they claim they posses. If they don't have that capability already. Thus creating another stalemate position.

We can attempt to assasinate him and his brethren. However, like in Iraq this would be very difficult to infultrate DPRK due to the large internal police and counter-intellegence force. If we succeed DPRK may possibly fall into anarchy and its neighboors will have to deal with the mess that insues. If we fail, it'll lead towards a renewel of hostilities.

As in the National Government Simulation (a now defunct Message board based Legislation simulation), I propose that we move our forces beyond their artillary range, except for a perimeter around Soeul/Inchon, thus creating a buffer for us to react to a potential DPRK attack. Former US positions along the DMZ can then be manned by either a minimal number of forces, or by ROK forces. This will give us time to focus our superior, numerically smaller, force so that it can be used more effectively while bring into play reinforcements located along the Pacific Rim. Even ground forces in Japan, to be sent to Pusan will take roughly 5-7 days time. Not to mention forces in Hawaii and on the West Coast.

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