Pyongyang calls U.S.-South Korean war games a step to nuclear war

[webfact]

Pyongyang calls U.S.-South Korean war games a step to nuclear war

By Christine Kim

 

A U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady takes part in a drill at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, August 21, 2017. Lee Sang-hak/Yonhap via REUTERS

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korean began long-planned joint military exercises on Monday, heightening tensions with North Korea which called the drills a "reckless" step toward nuclear conflict.

 

A report Pyongyang has earned millions of dollars in exports seemed likely, meanwhile, to raise doubts about the impact of sanctions to pressure North Korea into dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the joint drills, called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, were purely defensive and did not aim to increase tension on the peninsula, but North Korea denounced them as a rehersal for war.

 

"There is no intent at all to heighten military tension on the Korean peninsula as these drills are held annually and are of a defensive nature," Moon told cabinet ministers.

 

"North Korea should not exaggerate our efforts to keep peace nor should they engage in provocations that would worsen the situation, using (the exercise) as an excuse," he said.

 

The joint U.S.-South Korean drills last until Aug. 31 and involve tens of thousands of troops as well as computer simulations designed to prepare for war with a nuclear-capable North Korea.

 

The United States also describes them as "defensive in nature", a term North Korean state media has dismissed as a "deceptive mask".

 

"It's to prepare if something big were to occur and we needed to protect ROK," said Michelle Thomas, a U.S. military spokeswoman, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

 

North Korea views such exercises as preparations for invasion and has fired missiles and taken other actions to show its anger over military drills in the past.

 

"This is aimed to ignite a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula at any cost," the North's KCNA news agency said.

 

"The situation on the Korean peninsula has plunged into a critical phase due to the reckless north-targeted war racket of the war maniacs."

 

North and South Korea are technically still at war after the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

 

North Korea's rapid progress in developing nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland has fueled a surge in regional tension and U.N.-led sanctions appear to have failed to bite deeply enough to change its behavior.

 

China, North Korea's main ally and trading partner, has urged the United States and South Korea to scrap the exercises. Russia has also asked for the drills to stop but the United States has not backed down.

 

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said North and South Korea and the United States all needed to make more effort to ease tension.

 

"We think that South Korea and the United States holding joint drills is not beneficial to easing current tensions or efforts by all sides to promote talks," she told a daily news briefing.

 

SANCTIONS UNDERMINED

 

A confidential United Nations report, seen by Reuters on Monday, found North Korea evaded U.N. sanctions by "deliberately using indirect channels" to export banned commodities and had generated $270 million between October 2016 and May 2017.

 

The "lax enforcement" of existing sanctions and Pyongyang’s "evolving evasion techniques" were undermining the U.N. goal of getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, according to the report by independent U.N. experts who monitor sanctions violations for the U.N. Security Council.

 

The Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Aug. 5 that could slash its $3 billion annual export revenue by a third. The latest sanctions were imposed after North Korea tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea this month it would face "fire and fury" if it threatens the United States.

 

The North responded by threatening to fire missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam, but later said it was holding off while it waited to see what the United States would do next.

 

There will be no field training during the current exercise, according to U.S. Forces Korea.

 

The United States has about 28,000 troops in South Korea. About 17,500 U.S. service members are participating in the exercise this month, down from 25,000 last year, according to the Pentagon.

 

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday the reduction in the number of U.S. troops taking part reflected a need for fewer personnel and was not because of tension with North Korea.

 

Other South Korean allies are also joining this year, with troops from Australia, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand taking part.

 

(Writing by Linda Sieg; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Paul Simao and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-22

[Get Real]

Yeah, the wierd minds, madmen and lack of intelligence is still on top of the world, I can read

[FreddieRoyle]

 Over in NK, they see the US and SK military doing these joint forces drills, and they say " How can they act so provocatively? We must act now to stop this getting worse" and in the west we see NK launching missiles and perfecting a nuke and we say " How can they act so provocatively? We must act now to stop this getting worse".

 

 And the thing is. They are both exactly right. So, how do we act? As posted in another thread, immediately halt these military drills with South Korea. Yes it will look like a sign of weakness to some players. Never mind that, we show sacrifice. North Korea will stop feeling threatened and stop testing armaments and nukes(so the theory goes). Everyone lives happily ever after. Of course, if NK resumes hostile actions they will do so with the knowledge the US/SK military drills will resume at a greater intensity, and all NK will have achieved is a loss of face internationally and lost a valid excuse as to their actions.

 

 I had expected Trump would have managed to negotiate with Kim. This possibility should not be written off, and it is likely that Trump is currently riding NK hard so when the dealing starts that he has real leverage.

[skorp13]

Sounds like the guy is calling for the eradication of North korea

[Rancid]

Can't see why any state at odds with the US would complain about them having invasion drills on their borders, in fact the Russians better get to like it too as NATO steps up the same.

 

Also note that the US is building a naval base in the Ukraine, right on the Russian border, that act of good will at least will help alleviate any paranoia the Russians would have been feeling. Similar to the Russians building a naval base in Mexico right on the US border, no doubt with nuclear armed ships visiting, I'm sure that would go down well with Americans.

 

That aside seems like the Korean war of threats is cooling off....

[craigt3365]

Right. Russia has massive war games right on the border with countries like Ukraine and the Baltics. Even call them invasions of those countries. I don't see these countries researching nuclear weapons. Nor brutalizing their people.

 

More propaganda by Kim to support his nuclear goals and keep his people under control. Gotta have a boogie man. Same thing in Russia.

 

Abide by the UNSCR resolutions and things will calm down.

[Sydebolle]

I've been advocating this all along. As long as the US has troops in South Korea - the North Korean hermit kingdom will be kept alive by PR China. 

Such "exercises" give the Kim Jong-un all the justification to rattle the cage, again and again and again ....

Move the Yankees out (to Japan or even back home) and you would see real changes happening as the Chinese would no longer feel having an unwanted guest too close for comfort - me thinks! 

How can you talk about peace and rattle the cage at the same time? Only in America ........ 

[craigt3365]

50 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

I've been advocating this all along. As long as the US has troops in South Korea - the North Korean hermit kingdom will be kept alive by PR China. 

Such "exercises" give the Kim Jong-un all the justification to rattle the cage, again and again and again ....

Move the Yankees out (to Japan or even back home) and you would see real changes happening as the Chinese would no longer feel having an unwanted guest too close for comfort - me thinks! 

How can you talk about peace and rattle the cage at the same time? Only in America ........ 

You are aware of why US troops are there, right? Without that deterrence, NK might invade....again. How about NK act like a responsible member of the global community? Heaven forbid. It's all the U.S. problem.  LOL

 

P.S. China is backing the U.N. sanctions.  LOL

[hawker9000]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

I've been advocating this all along. As long as the US has troops in South Korea - the North Korean hermit kingdom will be kept alive by PR China. 

Such "exercises" give the Kim Jong-un all the justification to rattle the cage, again and again and again ....

Move the Yankees out (to Japan or even back home) and you would see real changes happening as the Chinese would no longer feel having an unwanted guest too close for comfort - me thinks! 

How can you talk about peace and rattle the cage at the same time? Only in America ........ 

What BS.  You actually think that if the U.S. cancels a few exercises, fatboy will suspend his nuclear program?   Keep up the senseless advocacy until pigs fly - it'll still be ridiculous, if for no other reason than that fatboy is a paranoid nutjob who NEEDS a bogeyman to keep his brainwashed people convinced they need HIM and his army of orcs.  Acquiesce to his intimidation tactics, as you "advocate", and you'll only ensure more of the same.    Only the America-haters ..........

 

 

 

[ilostmypassword]

1 minute ago, hawker9000 said:

What BS.  You actually think that if the U.S. cancels a few exercises, fatboy will suspend his nuclear program?   Keep up the senseless advocacy until pigs fly - it'll still be ridiculous, if for no other reason than that fatboy is a paranoid nutjob who NEEDS a bogeyman to keep his brainwashed people convinced they need HIM and his army of orcs.  Acquiesce to his intimidation tactics, as you "advocate", and you'll only ensure more of the same.    Only the America-haters ..........

 

 

 

Fatboy need the blusters and thread to conitnue to motivate his people. And, as is always the case with him, when the time comes to put up or shut up he's on to something else. And then there's the case of Kim Jong Un...

[SABloke]

My goodness time flies fast: I don't read the articles anymore, but "N.Korea says S,Korea's (annual) war games threaten a war" etc. etc. along with, "R.T.P to crackdown on traffic violators" are a good reminder that 1 year has passed. 

[Sydebolle]

7 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

What BS.  You actually think that if the U.S. cancels a few exercises, fatboy will suspend his nuclear program?   Keep up the senseless advocacy until pigs fly - it'll still be ridiculous, if for no other reason than that fatboy is a paranoid nutjob who NEEDS a bogeyman to keep his brainwashed people convinced they need HIM and his army of orcs.  Acquiesce to his intimidation tactics, as you "advocate", and you'll only ensure more of the same.    Only the America-haters ..........

 

 

 

 

Well, I have to rest my case. Unlike you I've been in Pyongyang and if you take the reason for this cage-rattling away the little fat boy is out of steam in no time. If you know everything then you certainly can enlighten the readership on how "nuclear capabilities" reached Pyongyang; Oppenheimer certainly cannot be blamed for that. 

Nowhere anything was mentioned about hating America but the official Washington has proved over the last 65 years how to seriously screw up things - non-stop and ongoing - go figure! 

[Sydebolle]

7 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

You are aware of why US troops are there, right? Without that deterrence, NK might invade....again. How about NK act like a responsible member of the global community? Heaven forbid. It's all the U.S. problem.  LOL

 

P.S. China is backing the U.N. sanctions.  LOL

 

North Korea will NOT invade anything. They don't have the stamina and the trigger. South Korea is able enough to defend itself and might resort to help but I can tell you, take the official Washington out of the equation and little fat piggy boy is out of steam; if necessary, the Chinese to his North will make this unmistakably clear. Latter kept his grandfather and his father at bay; without big fanfare but very effective ..

[craigt3365]

26 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

 

North Korea will NOT invade anything. They don't have the stamina and the trigger. South Korea is able enough to defend itself and might resort to help but I can tell you, take the official Washington out of the equation and little fat piggy boy is out of steam; if necessary, the Chinese to his North will make this unmistakably clear. Latter kept his grandfather and his father at bay; without big fanfare but very effective ..

History proves otherwise. Please read this. They've got the stamina and now, a nuclear trigger. Can't blame the US for all of this. Though many try.

 

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

[craigt3365]

32 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Nowhere anything was mentioned about hating America but the official Washington has proved over the last 65 years how to seriously screw up things - non-stop and ongoing - go figure! 

Right. Sure reads like praise. 

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed.