skafather84 wrote:
psychohist wrote:
skafather84 wrote:
Conventional shelling is larger than what's been previously going on.
North Korea sank a South Korean ship this past spring. I question whether the shelling is bigger than that.
Keep in mind that these two countries are still at war. There is a cease fire lin on land, but there was never an agreed line at sea, and the shelling occurred in territory that's still disputed.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
I think your both right. This situation occurred due to one of two reasons.
1) Panic on the Norther side when the South was testing their weapons. This is unlikely (the barrage lasted about an hour which is far longer than the day to day clashes).
2) An order from the central command. This is far more likely. The North likes to remind the world that they are still threatening and dangerous. The last thing they want is to be forgotten like all the other backwards kleptocracies out there. They knew the south would be engaging in war-games. They as usual threatened the south for having the temerity to take any independent action. Then most likely the decided to shell the snot out of the island in order to prove how big and powerful they are
. Also if you don't think NK plans this stuff in advance, check out the 'axe murder incident'.
As to the assertion that this was a Chinese plot; I doubt it. China obviously wants to have the North as a buffer against a reunified Korea but the two governments dont seem to get along too well. There was a report a couple of years ago that China told NK to stop all these shenanigans and adopt the authoritarian capitalist model that Beijing uses. Kim Jon-Ill apparently responded by describing Deng Xiaoping as a sellout to communism.
NK traditionally views these sorts of actions as 'cash crops'. They do something that seems irrational then the sanctions kick in, then they don't work; cause the government does not care about the people. Then the aid comes in (their economy is smaller than Costa Rica's). There is a theory running around that Kim Join-Il is doing all these things to provide his son with victories and a fear climate so as to ensure the succession; but its NK and its hard to know for sure.
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