# North Korea; Questions.



## Grinch2 (Sep 12, 2016)

Hello everyone, ever since I was young I have been under the impression that fear is the most effective weapon available in the entire world. Now of course we all have our fears, I mean whether or not you want to admit to it fear is why we prep ( for the most part ) by no means is fear a sign of weakness, if anything fear shows our true strengths by us admitting we have limitations. My fiance is a nurse who now works with an E.R trauma team, she is being exposed to the harsh realities of what people can do to other people and what people can do to themselves. Apparently her and her parents were discussing North Korea; since it is such a fantastic dinner conversation piece, but whatever, she came home scared to the bejesus about North Korea attacking the U.S. 

Now I have multiple questions, the first one is: Is North Korea an actual threat to the U.S ?
#2: Does North Korea pose an apocalyptic level threat to the U.S ? 
#3: Does anyone really think that North Korea will use nuclear warfare against the U.S ? 

Because this is my generalized views on North Korea, (1) they appear to be these crazy little power hungry minions hellbent on the destruction of mankind (2) they have plenty of nuclear weapons and are not in the least bit worried about flexing their proverbial muscles. (3) They have a DICTATOR who is mad with power (4) Obama is enough of an idiot to have them launch. 

Maybe I'm wrong with my views, now I fully support our military so don't anyone take this the wrong way, but from my current stand on the North Korean threat our military is not strong enough to defeat them if say a non-nuclear war were to happen. Even a NATO force does not seem capable of defeating North Korea, maybe I am wrong, but is it just me or does Russia seem a little less nasty when we look at North Korea ? 

Thanks to anyone for any help, I appreciate it in advance.


----------



## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Grinch2 said:


> Hello everyone, ever since I was young I have been under the impression that fear is the most effective weapon available in the entire world. Now of course we all have our fears, I mean whether or not you want to admit to it fear is why we prep ( for the most part ) by no means is fear a sign of weakness, if anything fear shows our true strengths by us admitting we have limitations. My fiance is a nurse who now works with an E.R trauma team, she is being exposed to the harsh realities of what people can do to other people and what people can do to themselves. Apparently her and her parents were discussing North Korea; since it is such a fantastic dinner conversation piece, but whatever, she came home scared to the bejesus about North Korea attacking the U.S.
> 
> Now I have multiple questions, the first one is: Is North Korea an actual threat to the U.S ?
> #2: Does North Korea pose an apocalyptic level threat to the U.S ?
> ...


I'd say currently they are no threat. They do have nukes but lack the capability to get them here (no long range) but they are working on it everyday. And one day they will be able to get them here. Next year? Maybe. Five to ten years? Probably. Sometime in the not too distance future, absolutely.


----------



## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

It would not take a very big or powerful submarine to bring a nuke to the US. Deterrence and mutually assured destruction works on the sane, but it's hard to imagine the kid being sane.


----------



## SDF880 (Mar 28, 2013)

I think there is a real threat from NK to SK and that little nut case leader may eventually and maybe soon strike Seoul
with a dirty weapon or worse. This will destabilize that entire region and pull us and other counties into a regional conflict that may
grow larger!


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Right now he has a handful of nukes so he is no real apocalyptic threat and his capabilities in delivery systems are limited. However, he is working diligently, and unmolested it would appear, on correcting those lacking capabilities. 2 to 3 years out I would say if left to his own devices. He certainly can start with South Korea and we could do little to stop him short of using tactical nukes. I think he has something like a 3 million man standing army and we have 30 thousand at the DMZ. Also remember the war is technically not over in Korea. No treaties are signed, only an armistice. Could get messy. I consider him a limited short time threat but growing more dangerous as time passes. Plus he is bat shit crazy. He is a wild card. Russia and China on the other hand are the real deal and I would worry more about them both short term and long term.


----------



## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

I feel if North Korea tries to nuke South Korea , we can stop it . If China , Russia tries to send off nukes then there's trouble , on the other hand they will feel the affects of it to , world trade will take a very bad hit , China needs world trade . Russia knows if they try anything we will send it back to them .


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Agreed that NK is unpredictable and looney. Japan and SK are very nervous. If our 36,000 troops in SK get nuked, then what? Any bets the 12th Imam in the White House writes it off as a weenie roast? Hildabeast and Trump are both more hawkish than that. How far does Russia and China go to defend an aggressive NK?


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

He is bat shit crazy. I do believe that both Russia and China are leery of him. He wants SK but he won't do anything until the US is neutralized. Now with some egging on by either Russia or most likely China he could launch a couple of nukes. And he wouldn't need long range missiles, he could possibly launch close by from container ships.


----------



## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

I think if Trump gets in, he will pressure China to get their ankle-biter-pet-dog under control or suffer the financial consequences.

I think Trump is willing to draw a line and dare someone to step over it.

Yes, we rely on China financially, but....they rely on us even more.

If the uninformed zombies can't buy plastic junk at Walmart for a few weeks/months....so be it.


----------



## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

tl;dr = North Korea poses low-to-no threat

The DPRK (N. Korea) is probably one of the more amusing threat actors in the geopolitical landscape, I use the term 'threat actor' in a more literal term than the intelligence term where they Threaten and they Act. 

N. Korea is still horribly clinging to the failures of communism and the echoes of the trappings of dynastic power, when you have a centralized God-King who surrounds himself with bunch of aggrandizing "ministers" who want nothing more than to return to some Leninist/Maoist glory day - you get what I like to call the North Korean Effect: people so insignificant they have to yell and scream to get attention much like a petulant child. In communist, 3rd world countries the dudes with all the guns and threats hold power - too bad they're like pre-Industrial country compared to our modern 21st century country.

On nuclear weapons: currently N. Korea has developed smaller fission warheads - more so "tactical" than "strategic" (apocalyptic) nuclear weapons. Tactical nukes (in theory, since we never used one) would be better used to flatten a small city, or hit an encamped Division or BCT-sized element - these aren't the things which will wipe major city like DFW, NYC, CHIRAQ, etc off of the map - not even close.

While they have the Warhead - they lack the Missile, not just the rocket propulsion technology, but the guidance packages as well. They have made strides in enhancing their tech over the last few years, gone are the days of them crashing vehicles into the sea. However, these rockets (and guidance packages) are better suited for tactical applications - maybe a few hundred KM, definitely not a ICBM.

A lot of this stems from the archaic infrastructure that stands up N. Korea. The only thing modern over there is Glorious Leader's porno stash, a IP-TV propaganda machine (ManBang, don't Google that - but it is what it is called), and they might even have dimming lights in the palace, maybe a Nokia phone or 2. 

While the previous comment may be more or less sarcastic in nature, it is true. North Korea lacks geospatial and GEOINT-gathering means, whether through aerial C4ISR assets, state-sponsored cyber espionage units, Sleeper/Shadow cells to act as SOTACs, or their own GPS satellites, on top of that I highly doubt they even have master SAASM technology for GPS.

There is also the fact we have a LARGE presence in the Asian/PACRIM AOR (Area of Responsibility) to name a few we have PACOM (Pacific Command) which has 25th ID, 7th ID, 2nd and we have no started rotating additional Corps-level assets throughout South Korea - i.e. XVIII Corps has the 101, 3ID, 82nd and 10th MTN - now any of those Divisions can have a BCT randomly assigned to a 7-9 month rotation to bolster the already massive presence there.

We have Naval and USMC Bases/Depots/Stations and units there, SOCPAC (Special Operations Command - Pacific) which has numerous assets of 1st SFG, West Coast SEALS, and other SOF Assets to send over there. And we also have a huge Air Force C2 presence, on top of numerous ADA and Nuclear Submarines.

So to sum that up: We would kick their ass. Our Air Defense systems are the most sophisticated in the world, I currently work alongside the guy who helped Raytheon reprogram the PATRIOT to take out SCUDS, on top of seeing them in use - even that technically-antiquated 40 year old tech is enough to take out sophisticated ICBMs and MIRVs - a tactical/short-range missile is trivial. On top of that we have THAAD batteries which make the PATRIOT look like a Super Soaker - to add to ALL of that, we also have the most sophisticated EWS in the world, SIGINT and GEOINT is our bread and butter through the NSA, DIA and DISA - then add NORAD's abilities and we are covered.

The only "threat" DPRK presents is to the DMZ - if he could launch a tactical missile into a Zone 1 or DMZ area - then yeah, it would suck but we would turn Pyongyang into a smoking crater if he did that. 

I could see China or even Agile state-sponsored Russian assets using DPRK's tenacity to possibly attack PACRIM partner-nations, maybe strike Japan or Indonesia if they wanted to, but that makes zero sense and is out of scope.

Don't worry about them, Don't worry about Russia, Don't even worry about Iran. The threat actors are already on our shores, look towards home, and take a look in yourself and prepare. Your fiancé already has and she hasn't even seen anything bad, she gets broken bodies after the fact, but it was enough of a wake up call.


----------



## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

AnotherSOFSurvivor said:


> tl;dr = North Korea poses low-to-no threat
> 
> The DPRK (N. Korea) is probably one of the more amusing threat actors in the geopolitical landscape, I use the term 'threat actor' in a more literal term than the intelligence term where they Threaten and they Act.
> 
> ...


 Right to the point ,, I love it ,, AMEN .


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

there won't be a Soviet Bloc type overthrow or an Arab Spring - North Korea goes down in a national suicide of epic proportions .... the military leaders are even more insane than Little Fatso .... you can count on attacks outside the Korean theater - they want to go down in history with a massive attack on the US ..... don't count out anything in regard of an attack - they are big on black ops, special forces and especially covert operations involving smuggling .... they routinely smuggle drugs and counterfeit $$$$$ around the world using diplomatic sealed cargo - moving pieces or an entire crude A-bomb is simple as pie .... they self manufacture all the old Soviet military gear - they routinely find long range missile systems, heading out into the world, buried under a load of cement ....


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

N. Korea has had 3 generations of mentally unstable leaders. There are a few business leaders in N. Korea that help keep Kim Jong un slightly stabilized but as we saw when Kim Jong had his uncle shot about 18 months ago there is really nothing to keep Kim Jong from pushing the button except his desire to live and rule. Still, he is a madman who has nukes and has been testing nuclear launching subs the last few years... If Kim Jong ever feels that he is going down for whatever reason he will probably push that button, S. Korea is the 1st target and if he can get a nuke over here we are the 2nd target. Since Russia didn't provide the promised air support during the Korean war Russia is probably the 3rd target.

Also keep in mind that N. Korea is a nation state with all the financial, and spy-craft abilities that allows. If Kim Jong could ever obtain one of those missing Soviet nukes we hear about from time to time he would probably donate it to ISIS if ISIS promised to only use it against the US. Radioactive material is so specific to the reactor that made it that he would have to find the materials for the bomb that comes from a Russian reactor if he wants to be able to claim he didn't do it.


----------



## tombaxter (Sep 6, 2016)

Grinch2 said:


> #2: Does North Korea pose an apocalyptic level threat to the U.S ?
> #3: Does anyone really think that North Korea will use nuclear warfare against the U.S ?


I suppose it sort of depends on your interpretation of what the US is. The Japanese attack on pearl was clearly an attack against the US. If the Koreans bombed an American Base in Japan that would also be an attack against the US. They could also quite easily shield a bomb and then smuggle it aboard a freighter and sail it into the port of Los Angeles, not a difficult task for a nation that can construct one in the first place.

Is it a real threat? Not really. The nation is run by a psychopath but they are anything but suicidal.


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

tombaxter said:


> I suppose it sort of depends on your interpretation of what the US is. The Japanese attack on pearl was clearly an attack against the US. If the Koreans bombed an American Base in Japan that would also be an attack against the US. They could also quite easily shield a bomb and then smuggle it aboard a freighter and sail it into the port of Los Angeles, not a difficult task for a nation that can construct one in the first place.
> 
> Is it a real threat? Not really. The nation is run by a psychopath but they are anything but suicidal.


N Korea's military is totally built around and incorporates a cadre of suicide troops - land, air, water - and there isn't an attack NK could make with tripping one of the intentional response landmines the US has planted .... once the shooting starts, NK will no longer exist as a country - might not even exist as a worldly land mass ....

the namby pamby treatment NK has been receiving is about to end - no more food bribes or ineffective sanctions - no more Obammy diplomats like The Worm - no more acceptance of threats against the US .... Hussain thought he was a world class dictator also


----------



## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

As far as The DPRK using State-sponsored terrorism/asymmetrical warfare tactics I would tend to disagree. Communist countries want to centralize and maintain their stranglehold on the people, and their power. They also pride themselves on signs of strength, it plays well in the propaganda machine - a lot of what The DPRK says/do play right into their psychological campaign to their people. Them arming a threat actor like ISIS, or anyone else, is like saying I beat up Floyd Mayweather by telling Connor McGregor to do it for me.

DPRK isn't Communist like Russian Communism - fighting proxy wars against the United States, using GRU-sponsored Balkan/Crimean terror groups to fight CIA-sponsored assets in the Balkans or Ukraine to keep their SOI intact. Where the Russians have enough global strength, technology, martial prowess and actual allies - the North Koreans don't. They have no influence on the geopolitical landscape aside from being petulant and sending mildly-concealed threats to people.

Let's pretend that they put aside their Nationalistic Pride (I am sure it also plays into a culture thing too, Asian culture is extremely proud) and want to start using non-state aggressors to do their work that wouldn't work. South Korea has a massive CIA-like spy presence in Pyongyang and all across the country. Why do you think the North Koreans started arresting and black bagging missionaries? They're paranoid, nothing happens in North Korea without us knowing.

The only thing N Korea has going for them is that they're so technologically backwards that we can get negligible, if any, amounts of SIGINT gathered. Everything is word of mouth, human intelligence and spycraft is a dangerous game - once he realize one of his ministers or generals is really a S Korean mole/DA then all of that preeminence will go away. THEN we might have a cause for concern.

Trust me - the media is kept on the up-and-up as far as things go in N. Korea quite a bit, as the S. Koreans report on it all of the time, because it is greatly amusing. What do you think the CIA, DIA, and other organizations know? A lot more than we are told (as usual) and we will go in there and split some skulls and glass over Pyongyang if we ever caught word of The DPRK using state-sponsored terror tactics.

Suicide troops are well and good, but where are they going to go? They aren't dropping airborne battalions on LA without someone knowing. Sure they can launch a naval assault if they managed to hide their armies in shipping containers (not going to happen). And when those sick, tired and hungry dudes jump off the boats? They'll gain some ground and get swatted.

As much as an egoist and psycho that KJU is - he isn't THAT stupid. All he can do is run his mouth, make himself look good IN COUNTRY to fuel his ego and flap his wings while everyone laughs at him.


----------



## tombaxter (Sep 6, 2016)

Illini Warrior said:


> N Korea's military is totally built around and incorporates a cadre of suicide troops - land, air, water - and there isn't an attack NK could make with tripping one of the intentional response landmines the US has planted .... once the shooting starts, NK will no longer exist as a country - might not even exist as a worldly land mass ....
> 
> the namby pamby treatment NK has been receiving is about to end - no more food bribes or ineffective sanctions - no more Obammy diplomats like The Worm - no more acceptance of threats against the US .... Hussain thought he was a world class dictator also


Iraq didn't have a powerful sponsor totally backing it like China backs N-Korea.



> China is North Korea's most important ally, biggest trading partner, and main source of food, arms, and energy. It has helped sustain Kim Jong-un's regime, and has historically opposed harsh international sanctions on North Korea


 The China-North Korea Relationship - Council on Foreign Relations



> In November 1950, China and the United States went to war. Thirty-six thousand Americans died, along with upwards of a quarter million Chinese, and half a million or more Koreans. If the United States was deeply surprised to find itself at war with the People's Republic of China, a country that hadn't even existed the year before, it was even more surprised to find itself losing that war.


 Deadly Lessons: The Last Time China and America Went to War | The National Interest

China is a lot more powerful today than back then, and the US. relatively weaker to respond due to its large military commitments across the middle east etc.
I don't think the US. will be in a hurry to attack NK anytime soon. And besides, there is no need, there is no oil there. The Chinese will keep NK from doing anything too stupid. And on that note, they could even be behind the current belligerent acts of NK. It wouldn't be the first time a powerful nation used a proxy to agitate in it's place, and China is certainly out stirring up trouble all across the Asian region.


----------

