North Korea warns of strike on Seoul's presidential palace

[rooster59]

North Korea warns of strike on Seoul's presidential palace

ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press


PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea warned Saturday that its military is ready to attack Seoul's presidential palace unless South Korean President Park Geun-hye apologizes for "treason" and publicly executes officials responsible for what Pyongyang says are plans to attack its leadership.

The warning, issued by state media in the name of a unit of the Korean People's Army, is the latest in a barrage of threats against Washington and Seoul over joint military drills now underway that the North sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion. It also came shortly after a North Korean propaganda outlet posted a video depicting a nuclear attack on Washington, D.C.

The joint military exercises are held annually, but tensions are particularly high this year because the drills are bigger than ever and come on the heels of North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch. Further angering Pyongyang have been reports in South Korean media that this year's exercises include simulated training for a "decapitation strike" targeting North Korea's top leaders.

The warning Saturday said the South Korean presidential palace is within striking range of the North's artillery units, and that if an order to attack is made it is "just a click away."

North Korea is believed to have artillery capable of striking Seoul with little or no warning and causing severe damage and casualties in the city of 10 million. A strike on Seoul, however, is highly unlikely, and Pyongyang has previously issued similar threats without following through.

There were few signs Saturday of the heightened tensions in Pyongyang, where residents went about their daily routines as usual.

Earlier on Saturday, the North Korean propaganda website DPRK Today posted a video depicting a nuclear attack on Washington.

The four-minute video, titled "Last Chance," showed a digitally created scene of a missile fired from a submerged vessel in the sea soaring through the clouds, darting back to Earth, and crashing into the streets near Washington's Lincoln Memorial before the explosion wipes out the city.

"Choose, United States. Whether the country called United States continues to exist in this planet depends on your choice," read a message that flashed on the screen to the background of a burning U.S. Capitol building and American flag. The video also warned that the North would "not hesitate" to attack the United States with its nuclear weapons if "American imperialists even make the slightest move against us."

A similar video got a great deal of attention in 2013, when North Korea also conducted a nuclear test and satellite launch.

North Korea has been developing its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, but is not believed to have perfected either enough to pose a credible threat to major U.S. cities.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-03-27

[ukrules]

So in a week or two I suspect we will have absolute confirmation that these NORKs are full of bull$sh!t as nothing will happen, not that we really needed it anyway.

[craigt3365]

So in a week or two I suspect we will have absolute confirmation that these NORKs are full of bull$sh!t as nothing will happen, not that we really needed it anyway.

Sadly, they do have a history of attacks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_border_incidents_involving_North_Korea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Yeonpyeong

This is what started the current situation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

And bizarre threats. Love this new one:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/north-korea-propaganda-video-shows-attack-160326185452278.html

North Korea is hardly a toothless tiger....

[Credo]

The world's attention is on events in Europe and the ME. We can't have that now, can we?

[ezzra]

As if the world doesn't have enough of stark raving mad people running around blowing things up and engage in indiscriminate mega killings already, that this fat boy is adding to tension in the world with his megalomaniac games of wars, when would someone from his zombies people will wake up and put an end to this dynasty of tyranny already?.....

[trogers]

Those in power in North Korea must have been feeling very insecure to rattle the sabre and cry 'War'.

We see the same behaviour in child bullies...

Edited March 27, 2016 by trogers

[Steely Dan]

Every time fat boy makes a threat a drone should drop pacifiers tied to balloons over his own presidential palace.

[ggt]

This guy is really beginning to concern me...like a child throwing a temper tantrum...one does not know if he will quit if he is ignored...or escalate his behavior...

[bim]

Read today that the UK government spent 770 thousand pounds on NK since 2011 including 37 thousand in 2014 for a trip of 10 NK civil servants to the UK to educate them on media and other projects. To add that the US and UK have a funded university in the NK capital and the dear leader was educated in Switzerland it does pose the question that its in the wests interest to keep these idiots in power to keep and fear going in order to keep the arms industry going.

[BuaBS]

What the difference between North Korea and Saudi Arabia ?

The Saudi's have oil.

[Baerboxer]

What the difference between North Korea and Saudi Arabia ?

The Saudi's have oil.

Don't remember the Saudi's threatening to wipe out another country's presidential palace? Do you?

And the Saudi's don't have nuclear weapons.

[BuaBS]

What the difference between North Korea and Saudi Arabia ?

The Saudi's have oil.

Don't remember the Saudi's threatening to wipe out another country's presidential palace? Do you?

And the Saudi's don't have nuclear weapons.

Ask Yemen. See all the Saudi financed terror.

They don't need nukes...because of the oil , the US is their nuclear protector.

If only Kim had so much oil .... Korea would look like S.A. and he'd be king.

[jerojero]

Mr Kim Goon could not be THAT stupid, initiating a first strike. If so, his rule and his country will be finished shortly thereafter. The USA will come to the aid of South Korea and pound the absolute crap out of the North.

Edited March 27, 2016 by jerojero

[Credo]

This is largely nothing more than grand-standing, I hope. Striking Seoul's presidential palace would do minimal harm and would result in a reign of terror on North Korea of epic proportions. Kim knows this.

If he were going to strike the South, he would do so quickly and massively.

The South may have strong allies, but it is very vulnerable to a lightening quick strike by NK.

[craigt3365]

Mr Kim Goon could not be THAT stupid, initiating a first strike. If so, his rule and his country will be finished shortly thereafter. The USA will come to the aid of South Korea and pound the absolute crap out of the North.

Sadam Hussein was that stupid! LOL

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/2009-03-01/mother-all-battles-saddam-husseins-strategic-plan-persian-gulf-war

It shows the developing sense of threats and opportunities during the 1980s and the war with Iran, including the continuing preoccupation with Israel, the underestimation of U.S. strength, and a growing interest in taking on Kuwait. The delusional quality of Saddam's own thoughts, the sycophancy around the leader, and the lack of hard debate once he had spoken still make it hard to discern what the Iraqis truly believed and whether they really understood what was happening in the field during the Gulf War. In the end, Saddam took comfort from the fact that he outlasted in office George H. W. Bush and that although he might have had to leave Kuwait, he survived the most dire threat to his regime -- the Kurdish and Shiite insurrection of March 1991.

[slipperylobster]

So in a week or two I suspect we will have absolute confirmation that these NORKs are full of bull$sh!t as nothing will happen, not that we really needed it anyway.

Sadly, they do have a history of attacks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_border_incidents_involving_North_Korea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Yeonpyeong

This is what started the current situation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

And bizarre threats. Love this new one:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/north-korea-propaganda-video-shows-attack-160326185452278.html

North Korea is hardly a toothless tiger....

The military exercises were called Team Spirit.... I been on a few. Nothing changes since 1974.....they make similar threats every year, so no reason to take this seriously. Way over the top.

[Monkeyrobot]

The north might not have a killer nuke as yet but there leader has one hell of a hairdresser.

[Briggsy]

Not good for Mr. Warmbier.

[bentfarang]

Mr Kim Goon could not be THAT stupid, initiating a first strike. If so, his rule and his country will be finished shortly thereafter. The USA will come to the aid of South Korea and pound the absolute crap out of the North.

Like they did in their last war?

[MockingJay]

[NickJ]

Im bored....It would make for some good TV...

[Dumbastheycome]

Ahhh! Button pushing ! And who is supreme in that field? .................

[jesimps]

What the difference between North Korea and Saudi Arabia ?

The Saudi's have oil.

And you'd be the first to whinge if you didn't have any gas for your car or aircons/radiators. Easy to be moralistic when you're not freezing.

[craigt3365]

So in a week or two I suspect we will have absolute confirmation that these NORKs are full of bull$sh!t as nothing will happen, not that we really needed it anyway.

Sadly, they do have a history of attacks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_border_incidents_involving_North_Korea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Yeonpyeong

This is what started the current situation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

And bizarre threats. Love this new one:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/north-korea-propaganda-video-shows-attack-160326185452278.html

North Korea is hardly a toothless tiger....

The military exercises were called Team Spirit.... I been on a few. Nothing changes since 1974.....they make similar threats every year, so no reason to take this seriously. Way over the top.

I think the innocent civilians killed on Yeonpyeong might disagree with you....

[craigt3365]

What the difference between North Korea and Saudi Arabia ?

The Saudi's have oil.

And you'd be the first to whinge if you didn't have any gas for your car or aircons/radiators. Easy to be moralistic when you're not freezing.

I was a bit young, but do remember the lines at gas stations when SA cut off the oil supplies to the US. It wasn't good and had a huge impact on the global and US economy.

[hawker9000]

Mr Kim Goon could not be THAT stupid, initiating a first strike. If so, his rule and his country will be finished shortly thereafter. The USA will come to the aid of South Korea and pound the absolute crap out of the North.

Like they did in their last war?

Actually, yes. In spades. Until the Chinese decided to intervene and pull their withered nuts out of the fire... Until that point, the North did indeed get the absolute crap pounded out of it, yes (nominally by the "UN", but substantially by the U.S.). It all started with an effective surprise attack on and invasion of the South by Kim Il Sung (armed with Soviet tanks) which was completely reversed by the success of the Inchon landings. The sudden and unprovoked incursion by the North which started all that is what nobody in their right mind wants repeated by the current reigning psychopath-in-chief and his orc army, hence the continued presence of U.S. troops along the DMZ.

[stillbornagain]

Mr Kim Goon could not be THAT stupid, initiating a first strike. If so, his rule and his country will be finished shortly thereafter. The USA will come to the aid of South Korea and pound the absolute crap out of the North.

Like they did in their last war?

That was a long time ago when South Korea was a poor and weak nation. Now on a gross basis of GDP it's the 13 richest country in the world. It's economy is about 30 times the size of the North's. It's armed forces are far superior. The only cards North Korea has to play are its nuclear weapons and other unconventional weapons..

[geriatrickid]

Read today that the UK government spent 770 thousand pounds on NK since 2011 including 37 thousand in 2014 for a trip of 10 NK civil servants to the UK to educate them on media and other projects. To add that the US and UK have a funded university in the NK capital and the dear leader was educated in Switzerland it does pose the question that its in the wests interest to keep these idiots in power to keep and fear going in order to keep the arms industry going.

Rubbish. The South Koreans and Japanese have their own arms industries and make some of the worlds best naval vessels.

Their immediate concern is expansionist China.

[geriatrickid]

What the difference between North Korea and Saudi Arabia ?

The Saudi's have oil.

???? The USA doesn't need KSA's oil. India, China and korea do.

India and China need Saudi Arbia. Russia does not, nor the USA. It would help their respective oil industries if the KSA disappeared.

Want to try again?