Reunification?!

“Up in the North things are looking uglier than at any time since the armistice. If we get committed in Iran/Iraq, look for the North, probably at the instigation of the North’s masters in China, to try something, possibly causing us to have to reinforce the troops there in the South now. Pure speculation I agree, but don’t forget that on June 25,1950, the last thing our military command in the Far East was looking for was the North Koreans boiling across the border between the two Koreas, destroying everything in their path.”



That was an extract from Skip’s article from April 5, 2010 (‘South Korea… Shut Up And Smile’). Well, it appears that today’s attack was not at the behest of China (as far as we know), but they sure are flexing their muscles as anticipated. About a month after the installation of Kim Jong Un as military leader and heir-in-waiting to the failing Kim Jong Il, we witnessed a show of strength as a display to the impoverished North Korean people that the family dynasty has no intention of relinquishing its power.

As usual, the North played innocent… “We didn’t fire first!”… just as they denied knowledge of the destruction of the ‘Cheonan’ and murder of forty six naval personnel. This denial continued after an independent international investigative team proved beyond doubt that the ship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo.

I knew the comments that would come from world leaders before I even heard them. “We condemn this action” is always a politically correct response from Obama and the UN, along with various other leaders who are afraid to commit themselves to any action. A comment that I found somewhat insulting to South Korea came from Russia… “We urge restraint on both sides”. Huh?! They just had two Marines killed and many more people injured by an unwarranted attack. In March, they lost forty six personnel while on a routine patrol. I think S. Korea is showing remarkable restraint, given the circumstances.

John Bolton gave his views on the situation today and, as usual, he was pretty much on the money. I was a little surprised by his ‘ultimate solution’ of reunification. I’m not saying that it could not, or will not, happen some time in the future. It just seems like ‘pie-in-the-sky’ at the present time, with two of the most disparate political and economic neighbors imaginable.



There are more pressing problems to solve right now. How many attacks will South Korea endure before it retaliates? Will we, and other western countries, go to their aid? With around 30,000 US military personnel based in South Korea, the answer is fairly obvious.

The whole situation is further complicated by the recent revelations on how very close the North is to having full nuclear capability. Some very serious decisions need to be taken now… it’s time to stow away the cliché condemnations and do something!

(Editor Dee is in for Skip today)

Sins Of The Father.

With tension still running high in the Korean peninsula, there are still more questions than answers. It has been confirmed that the South Korean ‘Cheonan’ was sunk by a North Korean torpedo, but there has been no reason given for this unwarranted act which could be, and has been by various news sources, termed an act of war.

South Korean Corvette 'Cheonan' 

Was it the action of some renegade submarine commander that harbored a particularly strong hatred for his southern neighbors? Perhaps he saw it as an opportunity to find favor in Pyongyang? This theory is unlikely, as intelligence sources have revealed that a few Yeono-class midget submarines, and a mother ship supporting them, left a North Korean naval base in the West Sea two to three days prior to the attack and returned to their port two to three days after the attack. This would indicate a planned attack, under orders from a higher authority.

Many have speculated that it could be an attempt by Kim Jong Il to assert his power, or perhaps more accurately the power of his family, over the North Korean people. It is a country that is virtually dead on its feet, by some accounts much like its leader. It is evident that he has been honing his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, to take the dictatorial throne upon Il’s death or incapacity.

Kim Jong-Un

As with most things in N. Korea, much about the younger Kim remains a mystery. Even recent photographs, claimed to be of him, have been disproved. The one shown here was taken when he attended a German-speaking school in Berne, Switzerland, while assuming a false name. According to fellow students, he was a great fan of the NBA and held Michael Jordan in high esteem. He owned a collection of Nike shoes which, he lamented, were not available in his home country. Perhaps, after tasting the freedom of the west and all it offers, it has opened his eyes to the reality that capitalism is not the beast portrayed to him by his forebears.

There is the possibility that this latest attack is the ‘dying wish’ of a man who knows that his time is near, that the chances of a conflict with those that he holds in contempt will be diminished after his passing, that he would prefer to go in a blaze of glory, regardless of the consequences to his people and the world.
Let’s hope that his successor will see this act as the folly of a senile, power-crazed tyrant, rather than the inspirational act of a paternal figure.



Whatever happens in the domestic affairs of North Korea, whoever takes control, we cannot allow acts of aggression that involve the deaths of innocent personnel to go unpunished. However, with one as unbalanced as Kim Jong Il, we have to tread very carefully.

(Editor Dee is in for Skip today)

South Korea… Shut Up And Smile.

Barack Obama has such a touch with allies… especially allies who have very big, very tough sworn enemies breathing down their necks. Back in the day as such things went, we didn’t spend a lot of time on a breaking story that had scant information. All of that went south with the advent of the world-wide web.

I’ve found that with the net being what it is many times, sources can be searched before the various authorities involved can move in and sanitize the story. An example of that was the South Korean corvette that was sunk. Looking around I noticed immediately that very early mention had said the ship had been torpedoed. Within hours it had been scrubbed, reports had been changed to possible floating mines. Reports about a reaction and communication between the Obama White House and the South Korean Government also disappeared.

South Korean Naval Vessels Search For Survivors And Bodies From The 'Cheonan'

Obama had to muzzle the Koreans. If in fact it was a torpedo, it was a deliberate open act of war by the North. The North and South have had minor clashes going back to the end of the Korean War. This is different. This was a warship inside of South Korean waters. Forty six crewmen were lost. Since the initial stories, the focus has remained on the ship either having some sort of internal issue resulting in an explosion, or the mine story.

If the Koreans declared it to be a torpedo, they and we would have to face up to an overt and planned act of war against the South. So would Obama. The last thing this guy wants to have to do is to stand up against the North – they’re ideologically closer to Obama’s personal political inclinations. He has just completed giving in to another possible enemy, Russia, by agreeing to reduce the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal for relatively nothing.



With the tension in the Middle East ratcheting up, with Iran, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, we are going to be in this one once it starts for sure. Not willingly, but we’ll get swept up into it before it’s over. It will be interesting to see how fast Obama runs interference for the bad guys.

Up in the North things are looking uglier than at any time since the armistice. If we get committed in Iran/Iraq, look for the North, probably at the instigation of the North’s masters in China, to try something, possibly causing us to have to reinforce the troops there in the South now. Pure speculation I agree, but don’t forget that on June 25,1950, the last thing our military command in the Far East was looking for was the North Koreans boiling across the border between the two Koreas, destroying everything in their path.

Obama’s policies are far, far more likely to put this country into a shooting conflict than if he showed some spine to our enemies. Obama just doesn’t get it. He reminds me of the kid on the playground who appeases and talks his way around the local bully instead of standing up for himself. That stuff may be ok for playgrounds. Out here where the big kids play, the thought of this lightweight bumpkin making critical blunder after blunder… somebody is going to have a real bad day.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010