27 replies to this topic

[Listless Nomad]

If only....

http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-17698438

[Oswin Aurelius]

Needs moar dakka.

[pursang]

I really don't know what the big hubub is with the missile launch. It's pretty clear that they're merely show-boating (like usual) and trying to stay relevant in world politics.

[Listless Nomad]

Relevant being a relative term haha.

They are quickly becoming a laughing stock. People are just worried they are going to snap, nuking Japan or South Korea and killing a bunch of people for no reason.

[Adridos]

Listless Nomad, on 12 April 2012 - 07:21 PM, said:

Relevant being a relative term haha.

They are quickly becoming a laughing stock. People are just worried they are going to snap, nuking Japan or South Korea and killing a bunch of people for no reason.

Or target USA right away. Last time I heard about those guys (other than the death of their "ultra" leader, everyone cried about) was when the numbers shown that their nuclear arsenal is bigger than that of USA and Russia combined and that they bothe fear them.

[Listless Nomad]

Adridos, on 13 April 2012 - 09:06 AM, said:

Or target USA right away. Last time I heard about those guys (other than the death of their "ultra" leader, everyone cried about) was when the numbers shown that their nuclear arsenal is bigger than that of USA and Russia combined and that they bothe fear them.

Lol unless you are getting your news from north Korean state news, you are mistaken. The number of north Korean nukes is still likely in the single digits haha. The us and Russia still have thousands of nuclear weapons. Last time NK tested a nuke, it could have been mistaken for a tiny earth quake.

[Mason Grimm]

Listless Nomad, on 13 April 2012 - 10:08 AM, said:

Lol unless you are getting your news from north Korean state news, you are mistaken. The number of north Korean nukes is still likely in the single digits haha. The us and Russia still have thousands of nuclear weapons. Last time NK tested a nuke, it could have been mistaken for a tiny earth quake.

This is correct. I believe it was described as a "fizzler".

Quote

On October 9, 2006, the North Korean government issued an announcement that it had successfully conducted a nuclear test for the first time. Both the United States Geological Survey and Japanese seismological authorities detected an earthquake with a preliminary estimated magnitude of 4.3 in North Korea, corroborating some aspects of the North Korean claims.

Quote

In April 2009, reports surfaced that North Korea has become a "fully fledged nuclear power", an opinion shared by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted another nuclear test, which is believed to have been the cause of a magnitude 4.7 seismic event. Although there is no official information about the test's location, it is believed that it happened in the north-eastern region near Kilju, the site of North Korea's first nuclear test.

As to why they should be considered scary?

Quote

In July 2011, Abdul Qadeer Khan, the key figure in Pakistan's nuclear weapons development, allegedly claimed that North Korea had gained access to Pakistan's nuclear technology in the late 1990s by paying bribes to Pakistan's senior military officials, a claim Pakistan's senior officials disputed. Khan stated that he had personally helped transfer $3 million in gratuities to senior Pakistan's military officers, though he neither provided any proofs to his claims.

Remember, Pakistan also said Bin Laden wasn't there and that if he was they would know about it.

Just sayin!

[Hayden]

More like "North Korea launches new reef."

[Alizabeth Aijou]

Eh, what a pity.

[Thorn Hallis]

Listless Nomad, on 13 April 2012 - 10:08 AM, said:

Lol unless you are getting your news from north Korean state news, you are mistaken. The number of north Korean nukes is still likely in the single digits haha. The us and Russia still have thousands of nuclear weapons. Last time NK tested a nuke, it could have been mistaken for a tiny earth quake.

Well, I guess he uses the same news sources as George Dabelju Bush back in his days...

[Listless Nomad]

Thorn Hallis, on 14 April 2012 - 04:47 AM, said:

Well, I guess he uses the same news sources as George Dabelju Bush back in his days...

Yeah tell me about it...

You're listening to FNN, your fabricated news network.

Our top story, reports indicate small third world nations are weaponizing glitter. More at 11.

[MagnusEffect]

Not even the Chinese like North Korea. I think everyone is satisfied with NK being crazy as long as they keep it in their pants (borders). Which I guess isn't really much of a comfort for the neighbors. Launching missiles off their coast is sort of a mood killer. Speaking political theory (professionally educated on the matter), if dictators can be relied upon for anything it is that, above all else, they want to preserve the power they have. I don't think North Korea will do anything really overt until it thinks it can and get away with it (Hitler's attack on Poland is a classic example). Which, again, I guess is not much comfort for the neighbors, but NK doesn't appear to be in any position to do much for quite some time. Their general policies are the very definition of "backward". I think most leaders are hoping that NK will just slowly erode itself away from the inside with maybe a more tolerant regime taking over after the old guard fails miserably. As long as NATO continues to show a strong interest in South Korea (obvious first target), I don't think NK will try to pull anything...well... at least not for a long time.... long enough that future generations will hopefully not care about reclaiming territory.

Edited by MagnusEffect, 14 April 2012 - 05:31 AM.

[MagnusEffect]

I would also like to point out how hilarious the missile name is in english. It's like what if we named our next new missile whatever is the Korean slang term for *****? Hell, if I was president I would do it... now that's presidential trollin' right there

(probably a good thing I'm not president... would probably be like a more educated but equally ostentatious President Camacho)

Edited by MagnusEffect, 14 April 2012 - 05:45 AM.

[Red Beard]

North Korea's ICBM missiles do not have the range to reach the US shores yet. That is not the largest worry right now anyways. The worst part about NK having operational nuclear weapons is the possibility of the North Korean government selling one or more of them to an Islamic terrorist group in order to make a dirty bomb.

[Evgeny Bear]

hmm don't get that "big bad communism state" somewhat old... I mean even the borderpatrolunits of NK want to reunite with the south.

[Der Kommissar]

Listless Nomad, on 13 April 2012 - 10:08 AM, said:

Lol unless you are getting your news from north Korean state news, you are mistaken. The number of north Korean nukes is still likely in the single digits haha. The us and Russia still have thousands of nuclear weapons. Last time NK tested a nuke, it could have been mistaken for a tiny earth quake.

They also have no long-range delivery systems.

North Korea is a failed Stalinist ****-hole even for a Stalinist ****-hole. They pose no threat to anyone but their own citizens, the South Koreans, and possibly China by way of floodiing them with unwanted, unskilled, starving refugees.

North Korea will never sell nuclear weapons to Islamists, because nuclear weapons can be tracked. If you sell such a weapon to a cirminal organization and they use it, the doctrine for what is done in response was already established in the Cold War: overwhelming retaliation. The military oligarchy in charge of North Korea has no interest in starting a nuclear war; they use brinkmanship to prop up their continued exploitation of their citizenry. Nuclear weapons for them (and similar interested countries in antagonistc relationships with the west) are defensive tools to keep America from bringing them "freedom." If North Korea starts a war with an American satellite-state, it will be because some ***** got antsy in a tense situation and things escalated from there.

If you're worried about anyone "accidentally" losing nukes, worry about Pakistan, whose government is weak and getting weaker and is filled with corruption and traitors.

Edited by Der Kommissar, 14 April 2012 - 08:28 AM.

[Jack Gammel]

I once heard the NK regime described as a criminal organization which was able to take control of a country, and so far that analog seems to be holding true.

Seeing that missle break up was pretty funny, but it is also a little sobering to think about all of the money which was poured into that program instead of basic infastructure and agriculture.

I know people are hoping that eventually things will just get better in NK (new regime, policy shift in the current regime, popular uprising, etc.), but I don't see that happening. At least, I do not see it happening any time in the near future. But who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. I certainly hope I am.

Edited by Jack Gammel, 14 April 2012 - 08:24 AM.

[Alizabeth Aijou]

Could you lot please stop insulting the glorious Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea?

[Datum]

Recently leaked launch footage:

[Catamount]

Listless Nomad, on 12 April 2012 - 06:21 PM, said:

If only....

http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-17698438

Oh wow; everything that could possibly be right with this post is right