Grim's Hall

Overnight developments with the DPRK:

Yesterday North Korea cut its last regular ties to the United States and United Nations, which existed in the form of the United Nations Command, a meeting of liason officers from various national military services.. Explaining their decision, the DPRK accused the United States of planning an attack on them.

Are we planning an attack? Well, yes. The United States regularly plans military scenarios for potential situations, on the theory that they might come in handy just in case. Yet Senate souces say that the administration has accepted the idea of a nuclear DPRK. The theory on which this is being done is dubious: that, once North Korea goes nuclear, if it tries to sell fissile materials or nuclear technology, its neighbors will -then- become nervous and try to apply pressure. Once the DPRK is fully nuclear, though, what pressure is left to apply? The economic sanctions that are being discussed as an option might, indeed, threaten the regime with collapse--if it weren't in a position to blackmail payments out of the neighboring countries. Even without a proven capacity to use such weapons, the DPRK is attempting to force Japan to abandon its satellite program. Does anyone believe such threats will stop once the DPRK is actually strong enough to carry them out? Are we really going to wait until they are nuclear to call their bluff? What if they don't fold?

Millions die, that's what. Japan's population, within easy reach of their current missile technology, is about 125 million, concentrated in urban areas. North Korea's population is just over 22 million according to the CIA. If we don't address these matters before Korea goes nuclear, all of those people are at risk of nuclear fire if the DPRK chose to let fly rather than suffer internal collapse.