Korean Peninsula On The Brink Of War

[BRVoice]

Toad and other members, this is an article very well written about the situation on the Korean peninsula from the Washington Institute:

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/t...rtin+Kramer%29

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/o...1535d864a5.pdf

[BRVoice]

North Korea says forced to build nuclear might: sources
Posted 2010/12/10 at 8:12 am EST


MOSCOW, Dec. 10, 2010 (Reuters) - North Korea's foreign minister said U.S. and South Korean hostility was forcing Pyongyang to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

"We believe that until the United States and South Korea stop their hostile and confrontational policy toward the DPRK, it will be absolutely impossible to lift the tension from the Korean Peninsula," Interfax quoted Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun as saying in an interview.

"And we are again convinced of the rectitude of our choice in favor of a policy of ... universal strengthening of our defense potential with a focus on nuclear deterrent forces," Pak, due to visit Russia next week for talks, was quoted as saying.

Tension increased after the North bombarded a South Korean island last month, killing four people, and revealed advances in its nuclear program opening another route to making an atomic bomb.

The bombardment was the first time the North hit a civilian area on South Korean soil since the Korean war.

The U.S. and South Korean militaries held large-scale joint exercises days later in a show of force they said was meant to deter Pyongyang from further military actions.

South Korea has vowed to hit back hard if Pyongyang orders a new attack, bolstering defenses in a disputed area and amending rules of engagement to permit the use of fighter jets and bombs.

Reclusive North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests -- in 2006 and 2009 -- and is believed to have enough fissile material to make between six and 12 bombs.

Russia shares a short border with North Korea, which was a beneficiary of Soviet largesse during the Cold War, but has less influence on Pyongyang than China.

As one of the participants in long-stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending the confrontation over North Korea's nuclear program, Russia repeatedly emphasizes that it is crucial for all sides to refrain from military action.

(Writing by Steve Gutterman; editing by Mark Heinrich)

[American Patriot]

Vector posted something about Iran storing missiles in Venezuela.

That was the missing link. THat is what was "missing" for me.

I knew something wasn't right.

I completely, totally blew off Venezuela....

North Korea has been helping Iran. Iran has been producing massive amounts of uranium. We think they are trying to make nukes. What if ALL they want is lots of radioactive materials, in large quantities?

The buildup of Russian and Chinese military forces, Venezuela adding to their military (equipment and people) as well as "nationalizing" everything, China launching missiles off our coast, Russians playing sub-hunt in the Atlantic, and now North Korea trying to spark something.

Look, we all KNOW now is the time for the Axis to hit us - and they are trying to press the buttons to cause it to happen.

North Korea is the spark, under China's control. Between the Russians, Chinese, Iran targeting the US now from South America (perhaps with dirty missiles!) and us getting pulled in all directions we're pretty screwed up right now.

We have a weak Congress, weak President and in general a weak population that is adverse to war.

What a BETTER time to spark something????

Here is the scenario.

North Korea claims the South has "attacked them" (for whatever vague reasoning they can use) and they hit Seoul. Seoul and SK attack back, US Forces help defend the border and are attacked directly. The US sends in planes to obliterate the artillery.

A US ship is sunk allegedly by a North Korean sub - with a nuclear torpedo. The USS George Washington and several ships in the area are sunk. We hit back with tactical nukes. China, not any longer sitting on the side lines jumps in.

The Russians begin targeting our ships or locating them for the DPRK. China hits us in South Korea. We use bigger weapons. Russians get pulled in.

Suddenly, Iran launches from Venezuela at the US hitting random locations with missiles that contain nuclear material, causing poisoning across large areas.

We do an all out launch - because quite simply, Obama doesn't have a choice. The Chinese and Russian subs off our east and west coast obliterate DC, Detroit, LA, San Diego, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, St. Louis and numerous military installations around the US, dozens of nuclear missiles sites. We launch as much as we can in the 15 minutes we have.

Some stuff goes down to our MDA. Most doesn't though. Colorado Springs is gone, I'm gone....

the story ends here for me.....

[American Patriot]

This is how things are lining up:

US, Britain, France, Spain, Canada, Israel (Spain is probably the lowest on that list)

Versus

North Korea, Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, several middle eastern countries

Of course, I see there might be others involved, but those are the ones that will jump in right off.

[AGEUSAF]

Rick your scenario is generally what I'm thinking. Those first few hours are touchy. I always thought they would at least drop the dollar first and let us kill each other for awhile but maybe in that scenario it is way too obvious.

I thought this is how it was going to start in 03, once we moved on Iraq I thought for sure NK and Iran would move but that wasn't the plan I guess.

I know one thing I wish we had the old Japanese and German military right now on our side. Not letting them build back up to full potential was a mistake at least in my opinion.

[American Patriot]

Well, I think Germany and Japan can still hold their own to some extent.

The Japanese have pretty decent war ships from what I've seen, and what the hell, we have extra boats we can give them.

I'm sure they aren't as well trained as they might have been - and they aren't that interested in "war" these days, but they certainly grasp the greater ramifications of allowing NK to take over south Korea, and allowing China to have their way with the Pacific.

Australia should have been added to my list. They will jump to our aid as well.

[American Patriot]

I don't think he saved anything (Hitler) because he didn't STOP Communism... he helped it to grow stronger.

Without his meddling, the SOVIETS would have never grown as strong as they did, because they were FORCED to do so. It would have taken, I think another generation at least before they grew.

You can see this from the other side I'm sure.

[American Patriot]

South Korea Ups the Ante: Could Koreas Face War?

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By Max Fisher | December 10, 2010 9:36am
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The stand-off between the Koreas, which began after North Korea shelled a South Korean island without warning, just got a great deal more tense. New South Korean Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin, who took office after the attack, warned that South Korea would respond with war to any further aggression. "If North Korea launches another military attack on our territory and people, we must swiftly and strongly respond with force and punish them thoroughly until they surrender," he said. "We do not want war, but we must never be afraid of it." This rhetorical escalation has many worried it could raise the risk of all-out war. Here's what Korea-watchers are saying.

• 'Real Possibility of War' Between Koreas Victor Cha warns in South Korean daily newspaper the Chosun Ilbo that "there is a real possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula." He explains that "the danger stems from two combustible trends: A North Korea which mistakenly believes it is invulnerable to retaliation due to its nascent nuclear capabilities, and a South Korea that feels increasingly compelled to react with military force to the string of ever more brash provocations like the artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong Island." Cha says the U.S. should bolster South Korea's military to increase deterrence and begin talks to convince North Korea that nukes are not defensive weapons.

• How This Rhetoric Could Lead to Unintended War Robert Farley notes that South Korea's rhetoric will "raise the domestic costs of inaction in the face of further North Korean attacks. It will be very hard for the Seoul government to resist escalation in response to future incidents; it has painted itself into a rhetorical corner, mostly by design." In other words, domestic politics in South Korea will now make the country much more likely to respond to North Korean aggression with all-out war. This is meant to deter the North, but Farley points out that because North Korean leadership is unfamiliar with the South's democratic politics they may not understand the new situation. "Consequently," he concludes, "I'm more than a little worried about the possibility of an actual shooting war on the Korean Peninsula."

• Even All-Out Victory for South Korea Would Be a Defeat Think Progress blogger Matthew Yglesias reminds us of "the curious fact that victory itself would be a disaster for South Korean living standards. Ask a (West) German someday about the cost of reunification, and consider that the task facing Korea would be an order of magnitude more difficult." Even a stunning victory would also be "costly for [South Korea] in terms of losses."

• Island Dispute Could Spark More Violence NightWatch's John McReary examines a statement from North Korean media warning of continued violence over a South Korean island near the border.

The underlying message is that South Korea illegally occupies a North Korean island which sets the stage for more harassment and provocations. The article ... implies that North Korea intends to keep pressure on Yeonpyeon island, at least, probably with the expectation that South Korea eventually will be forced to abandon it. This statement adds context to the South Korean announcement on the 8th that it intends to fortify the islands.

• South Korea Doesn't Want Reunification Wired's Spencer Ackerman notes on his personal blog that this is a silver lining. It could increase the deterrence effect and reduce the cost of a possible military conflict. "If 'surrender' for the North Koreans means a retreat behind the DMZ, then Seoul's stipulated disinterest in unification makes the South Korean statement of deterrence more credible. It would also have the benefit of roping in the Chinese and U.S. interest in maintaining the status quo on the peninsula."

Sources

• Threat of War Victor Cha, The Chosun Ilbo
• Deterrence and Misunderstanding Robert Farley, Lawyers, Guns, and Money
• Island is Flash Point John McReary, NightWatch
• How Victory Varies Spencer Ackerman, Attackerman
• Korea and Credible Commitment 41Matthew Yglesias, Think Progress

[American Patriot]

N.Korea 'will rely on nuclear might for defence'
(AFP) – 3 hours ago


MOSCOW — Pyongyang will rely on nuclear might to defend itself against the United States and South Korea, North Korea's Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun told Russia's Interfax news agency Friday.


"We are once again assured of the rectitude of our choice of the songun (army first) policy, and in strengthening a defence that relies on nuclear forces for deterrence," he said.


Moments after his comments, the Russian foreign ministry issued a statement stating that "all sides must avoid taking any actions that can escalate the situation."

[American Patriot]

Weird!!!!!!
Dropping in on North Korea


Rebecca N. White

| December 9, 2010



The Obama administration is letting the world know that New Mexico Governor and onetime–presidential hopeful Bill Richardson isn’t traveling to North Korea next week on U.S. government business. State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said Richardson would be making a “private visit” and will not be “carrying any particular message from the United States Government.” But Richardson might pop his head into the State Department after he gets back. Crowley said that former-president Jimmy Carter, after his personal visit to the North, paid Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a visit. The spokesman “would expect Governor Richardson to report back after he’s done.”



Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, still in Asia, said that strong “steps must be taken” to make sure Pyongyang stops behaving badly. But Washington must tread very carefully. As Mullen put it, “any actions that are taken . . . have to be done very carefully to make sure that we don’t escalate.” Many of Mullen’s recent comments on North Korea have been aimed at China. And today, North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Il met with a diplomat from Beijing. The Chinese didn’t give much hint of what went during the meeting, but both sides said that they worked on their bilateral relationship.



And in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, surveying progress in the war in the lead-up to the release of a strategy review, said that the situation there “exceeded [his] expectations.” Not only that, but he’s going back to Washington “convinced that our strategy is working.” Gates appeared at a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

[American Patriot]

US, South Korea eye shift in rules of engagement on North Korea

Seoul's top general and US Adm. Mike Mullen did not formally announce a shift in rules of engagement. But South Korean analysts believe they are shaping the first possible strategy shift since the Korean War.

• 

Gen. Han Min-koo, chairman of South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his US counterpart Adm. Mike Mullen pose for photographers before their talks at a headquarters of South Korean Defense Ministry in Seoul on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
Lee Jae-Wo/AP

Enlarge

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By Donald Kirk, Correspondent / December 8, 2010
Seoul, South Korea

The top US and South Korean military officers edged Wednesday toward a significant shift in the rules of engagement for countering North Korean attacks.
Skip to next paragraph Related Stories

• Why China will not do as Clinton asks on North Korea
• Japan's response to North Korea takes on a sharper edge
• Why China is reluctant to rein in North Korea's bellicose behavior

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US armed forces, said after meeting his South Korean counterpart that South Korea as a “sovereign nation” had “every right to protect its people in order to effectively carry out its responsibility.”


That remark was seen here to mean that the US would not stand in the way of South Korean commanders ordering fighter jets to bomb and strafe North Korean bases in case of an attack by North Korea on a target in the South.


Admiral Mullen stood beside General Han Min-koo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean armed forces, as each of them parried questions about the need to remove constraints on South Korean forces.


The issue has assumed prime importance here in the aftermath of North Korea’s bombardment on Nov. 22 of an island in the Yellow Sea in which two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed. South Korea responded to the barrage by firing cannon ineffectively at North Korean targets while South Korean F15 fighters were scrambled to the area but ordered not to open fire.


RELATED Disillusioned South Korea weighs response to North Korean flare-up

No formal change announced, but understanding reached

Neither General Han nor Mullen went into detail on changes in the rules of engagement, but Han said South Korea and the US had “agreed to strongly respond to North Korea’s additional provocations.” They would, he said, be “refining” plans “for the alliance to resolutely respond to further North Korean aggression.”


South Korean analysts believe the two came to a definite understanding.


“They have more freedom in the choice of weapons,” says Kim Tae-woo, a vice president of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. “It is an historical change” – the first, he says, “since the Korean War.”


Mr. Kim a member of South Korea’s presidential commission for defense reform, says “the green light was given even though Mullen did not say so openly.”


US support for any shift in rules of engagement is essential in view of the US-Korean military alliance, dating from the Korean War, and overall US command responsibility for all forces in the South in time of war. The US would not assume command of South Korean forces in response to a relatively minor attack, such as that on Yeonpyeong island, but US agreement is wanted for any essential policy shifts.
Buildup of tensions

Mullen arrived here just as a newly appointed defense minister, Kim Kwan-jin, who had also served previously as chairman of South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, was settling into his post with a mandate to vastly improve South Korea’s defenses. South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak appointed him amid widespread criticism of the poor state of the South’s defenses.


Mr. Kim in the past few days has been saying that South Korean planes would attack North Korean targets in the event of an attack similar to that on Yeonpyeong Island. He’s under orders from Mr. Lee to build up fortress-like defenses on the Yellow Sea islands and also south of the 155-mile-long demilitarized zone that has divided the Korean peninsula since the end off the Korean War in 1953.


Intrinsic in the buildup is a commitment by the US for more exercises such as those last week in which the aircraft carrier George Washington led a US strike force into the Yellow Sea for war games with South Korean forces. South Korean forces engaged in still more exercises this week off the east, west and southern coasts despite North Korean threats of “all-out war.”


Mullen emphasized, meanwhile, the need for China to pressure North Korea not to carry out more attacks. He spoke after a trilateral meeting in Washington among Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign minister of Japan and South Korea. At the same time, James Steinberg, deputy secretary of state, planned to go to China next week bearing the same plea.


RELATED: Why China is reluctant to rein in North Korea's bellicose behavior

The Chinese have “unique influence,” said Mullen, referring to China’s position as North Korea’s only real ally and the source of most of its food and fuel. “Therefore they bear unique responsibility.”


Related stories

• Why China will not do as Clinton asks on North Korea
• Japan's response to North Korea takes on a sharper edge
• Why China is reluctant to rein in North Korea's bellicose behavior

[American Patriot]

Gas Masks for All Residents in 5 West Sea Islands

‎
The Chosun Ilbo - 13 hours ago
Officials say while up to 80 percent of people living on the five islands that have been exposed to North Korean attacks are equipped, only 30 to 40 percent ...
Border residents to get gas masks‎ - The Korea Herald
Gov't to give gas masks to residents near border for protection ...‎ - BusinessGhana

[American Patriot]

• TODAY'S VIEWS: A DIGEST OF GLOBAL OPINION FROM TOP PUBLICATIONS
  
  

China's Links to North Korea's Nukes

Hanna Ingber Win | December 7, 2010
FT: A European meltdown could trigger a global crisis. GlobalPost: The US is likely to dramatically shift its Afghan war strategy. Globe and Mail: WikiLeaks will cause even greater secrecy.


China should be punished for supporting North Korea’s nuclear program

Columnist Bret Stephens writes in the Wall Street Journal that there is good reason to believe that China has actively supported North Korea’s efforts to build its nuclear program. The North would not have been able to come as far as it has without China’s assistance.


QUOTE: This is not the behavior of a status quo power, but of a revolutionary one supporting activities and regimes that represent the most acute threat to global security. If it continues unchecked, it is China that should be sanctioned—and the North's facilities destroyed.

European meltdown could trigger global crisis

Columnist Gideon Rachman writes in the Financial Times that an “economic meltdown” in Europe would rattle the entire world. Given that the European Union as a whole is the world’s largest economy, if it fell apart, it could trigger phase two of the global financial crisis.


QUOTE: The historically-minded point out that the Great Depression began in the US with the crash of 1929 – but was gravely worsened by the outbreak of a banking crisis in Europe two years later.

The global community needs the US-Russia arms control treaty

Bruce Blair, the co-coordinator of the nonproliferation group Global Zero, and Damon Bosetti and Brian Weeden, former launch-duty officers at a Minuteman missile base in Montana, write in the New York Times that the global community needs the New Start arms-control treaty. It could lead to even more cuts in nuclear arsenals in the United States, Russia and eventually around the world.


QUOTE: The initial goal of these multilateral talks should be the phased reduction of their arsenals. The longer-term goal is elimination of all nuclear weapons.

The US is likely to dramatically shift its Afghan war strategy

Executive Editor and Vice President C.M. Sennott writes in GlobalPost that the United States might be drastically changing its policy in Afghanistan soon and shifting away from one of winning hearts and minds and towards intense urban warfare. He states that the Soviets tried this as well – and failed.


QUOTE: The struggle between the effectiveness of armor and the threat it poses to civilian populations is as old as mechanized war, but it is a moral dilemma that the United States is likely to face head on in the coming months.

The global community neglects North Korea’s people

Columnist Jonah Goldberg writes in the Los Angeles Times that the global community vigorously debates how to force North Korea to end its nuclear program, but it virtually ignores the plight of the North Korean people themselves.
QUOTE: Stopping Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program is rightly a priority because of the threat it poses to the US and our allies. But it should also be a priority because, if we don't, the regime may stagger on for another half-century of barbarous cruelty.

If Europe falls apart, it will no longer be a positive global influence

Moisés Naím, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writes in the International Herald Tribune that if the eurozone breaks up, it will have terrible effects on not only Europe but also the entire world. Europe’s decline would cause it to stop having a positive political and economic impact on other nations.
QUOTE: I do not know if the ambitious project of European integration will survive the enormous obstacles it currently faces. But I do know that if it fails, the entire world will pay the consequences.

WikiLeaks will cause even greater secrecy

Paul Heinbecker, a former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, writes in Toronto’s Globe and Mail that WikiLeaks has forever changed diplomacy. He argues that the leaks will ironically lead to greater secrecy as nations try to prevent this from happening again.


QUOTE: The irony of the WikiLeaks attempt to force openness is that it is very likely to increase secrecy and decrease accountability. The public’s right to know, and historians’ ability to explain, will both be casualties.

One Washington official has the courage to try to fix the economy

Columnist Eugene Robinson writes in the Washington Post that US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is the only US official with the courage to try to fix the nation’s economy and the decency to be honest about the country’s economic state.


QUOTE: After last month's election, Republicans are in a mood to strut and Democrats in a mood to fret. But one official in Washington, at least, is focused on using all the powers of his office to try to make the economy grow and put Americans back to work.

Obama loses tax cut negotiation

Author John Avlon writes in the Daily Beast that President Obama’s decision to extend the Bush tax cuts has disappointed the left and delighted the right. Avlon argues that it showed both sides that Obama’s preference for resolving conflicts with reasoning between all parties fails during this sort of negotiation.


QUOTE: His opponents are playing remorseless politics, and this leaves Obama at a tactical disadvantage. He is by nature a bridge-builder and the margins keep getting moved as he strains to make a deal.

Don’t blame poverty on the ‘resource curse’

Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and a Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation, writes in Foreign Policy that the widely held belief in a so-called resource curse – the idea that nations with great natural wealth become plagued by poverty – may actually be false. The world’s resource wealthiest nations per capita actually have higher than average per capita income, and recent economists have found that countries with higher resource wealth have grown faster than those with less.


QUOTE: It is true that many countries that rely heavily on natural resource exports are poor and unstable. That's because poor and unstable countries are rarely globally competitive in banking or computer design.

[Toad]

.... New South Korean Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin, who took office after the attack, warned that South Korea would respond with war to any further aggression. "If North Korea launches another military attack on our territory and people, we must swiftly and strongly respond with force and punish them thoroughly until they surrender," he said. "We do not want war, but we must never be afraid of it." ....

Well, there's no other way I can read that without thinking a line in the DMZ has been finally drawn. The next provocation will result in full war ending only when the North collapses.

[American Patriot]

Report: N.Korea deploys torpedo-carrying midget subs
(AFP) – 3 days ago


SEOUL — North Korea has developed a new type of midget submarine fitted with torpedo launch tubes, allowing it to attack South Korea warships more easily, a report said Tuesday.
Satellite images of a naval base in the North's southwestern city of Nampo, published by JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, show what appears to be a 17-metre-long (56-feet) submarine with a tube-like structure attached to its top.
"We have concluded that it is a torpedo launch tube," the paper quoted an unidentified Seoul intelligence source as saying.
The paper said the new Daedong-B midget submarine moves faster than larger submarines and is harder for military radar to detect.
The South accused the North of sending a 29-metre Yono-class submarine to torpedo the Cheonan warship in March which sank with the loss of 46 lives. The North denies the charge.
The newspaper said the North has long used midget submarines to infiltrate spies into the South. It said Seoul military officials now suspect Pyongyang has developed a more powerful midget sub to carry torpedoes and other weapons.
South Korea's defence ministry and intelligence agency declined to comment.
Cross-border tensions have been high since the Cheonan incident, and rose further after the North's deadly artillery attack on a South Korean border island on November 23.

[American Patriot]

Well, there's no other way I can read that without thinking a line in the DMZ has been finally drawn. The next provocation will result in full war ending only when the North collapses.

Totally agree.

The North is waiting for something to happen so they can launch an attack again.

They are waiting for the South or US to do something so they can call it "provocation" to give them the weight of world opinion (or at least to pretend it does) before they do something.

Also, there is a distinct possibility they are falling back and regrouping because they are honestly afraid to do anything more than piss and moan.

[American Patriot]

Japan to raise armed forces mobility to boost defense

TOKYO | Wed Dec 8, 2010 3:21am EST



TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Vice Defense Minister Jun Azumi said Japan's armed forces need to improve their mobility to boost the country's defense capability in the southwest, where it shares a maritime border with China.


Azumi also said Japan aims to strengthen its security cooperation with South Korea, Australia and India, on top of its ties with closest ally the United States, as North Korea's artillery shelling of the South last month raised regional tensions.


"In a sense, the Cold War era structure has remained unchanged in the Far East. Only, China's military expansion has added to instability," Jun Azumi told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.


"Our attention was on the north during the Cold War. But we have to shift our focus to the defense of southwest ... The most important step to strengthen our defense over the next 10 years is to secure the mobility (of our troops)."


Japan's defense capability has traditionally been allocated heavily in the north to respond to potential threats from the former Soviet Union.


Azumi said the timing is right for Japan and South Korea to deepen their security ties.
"Given our history, there might have been reluctance on the South Korean side (for security cooperation with Japan). But due to the North Korean situation, the environment for such talks is developing," Azumi said.


"We are set to have various talks with high-ranking people within the South Korean government from now on."


South Korean military officers are participating in a joint military exercise between Japan and the United States this week for the first time as observers.


Azumi also said Japan's weapons export ban needs to be revised to fit the changing security environment.


"The weapons export ban is out of sync with the current situation and this needs to be pointed out, and how we can improve it needs to be considered," Azumi said.


Japan in 1967 drew up "three principles" on arms exports, banning sales to countries with communist governments or that are involved in international conflicts or subject to United Nations sanctions.


But the rules eventually became almost a blanket ban on arms exports and on the development and production of weapons with countries other than the United States.
The ban prohibits Japan's defense industry from joining multinational projects such as the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and makes it difficult for Japanese defense contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to drive down costs and keep up with cutting-edge arms technologies.


"The way the problem needs to be addressed will be mapped out in the National Defense Program Guideline (NDPG)," Azumi said.


Japan plans to update its national defense policy outline by the end of the year.
The Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday the export ban will not be eased in the forthcoming NDPG.


(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

[American Patriot]

Communist holdouts Laos and North Korea agree on closer ties

Dec 7, 2010, 6:16 GMT

Vientiane, Laos - The communist governments of Laos and North Korea have signed a cooperation agreement to enhance relations between their ruling parties, an official press report said Tuesday.

North Korea concluded the agreement with Laos Monday, the state-run Vientiane Times newspaper reported at a time when North Korea has seen its diplomatic isolation rise after an artillery attack last month of a South Korean island and the March sinking of a South Korean warship

The agreement was made as a high-level delegation from North Korea led by Kim Yong Il, secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the External Relations Committee of the ruling Korean Workers Party, was visiting Vientiane.

Signing the agreement on behalf of Laos was Thongloun Sisoulith, a Politburo member and head of foreign relations of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

The signing followed bilateral talks in which the two countries agreed to increase exchange visits and enhance 'growing friendly relations and traditional cooperation between the two countries.'

The North Korean
delegation also paid a courtesy call on Secretary General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Choummaly Sayasone Monday.

Laos and North Korea established diplomatic ties in 1974, but bilateral relations and exchanges of visits were stepped up in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union and the dwindling number of communist governments.

[American Patriot]

N.Korea '2nd Largest Security Threat to US After al-Qaeda'

‎
The Chosun Ilbo - 16 hours ago
Americans consider North Korea the second largest security threat to the US after ... North Korea came second, earning a "very high" threat rating from 42 ...

[American Patriot]

South Korea Formally Declares End to Sunshine Policy

Steve Herman | Seoul 18 November 2010
[IMG]http://media.voanews.com/images/480*329/ap_south_korea_north_reunions_18nov10_480.jpg[/IMG] Photo: AP

South Korea Lee Pung-no, center, weeps as he hugs with his North Korean daughters during the Separated Family Reunion Meeting at Diamond Mountain in North Korea, 03 Nov 2010



The South Korean Unification Ministry's annual report calls the Sunshine Policy of peaceful engagement with North Korea a failure.

The ministry's white paper, issued Thursday, contends a decade of cooperation, cross-border exchanges and billions of dollars in aid did not change Pyongyang's behavior or improve the lives of North Korean citizens.

Lee Jong-joo, a ministry spokeswoman, says South Korea's goal is to see North Korea prosper, but Seoul must respond appropriately to any provocations from Pyongyang.

Compared with the previous two administrations here, North-South relations have significantly cooled under President Lee Myung-bak.

Mr. Lee, since taking office in 2008, has insisted North Korea give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons if it wants badly needed food and other aid from Seoul.

His conservative government points to North Korea's continued nuclear programs and this year's sinking of a South Korean warship as examples of deception by Pyongyang.

The white paper's publication was delayed six months to include information on the sinking of the Cheonan navy ship in March.

Pyongyang denies responsibility for the sinking. An international investigation concluded the ship was hit by a North Korean torpedo.

Park Young-Ho is a senior research fellow at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification. He says Mr. Lee's administration is trying to establish a relationship based on rules with the North.

Park says this is a shift, in response to four decades of Pyongyang's questionable attitude towards inter-Korean engagement.

The ministry's report complains about the lack of progress on other critical issues, including reuniting separated families and the release or information about South Korean prisoners of war, as well as citizens abducted by the North's agents.

Referring to huge payments Seoul secretly made to Pyongyang to bring about a 2000 summit of the countries' leaders, the Unification Ministry says any future engagement must be done transparently.

The policy document does stress the importance of dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang.

On Thursday, Pyongyang sent a message to Seoul saying it is prepared to discuss the status of a jointly run resort in the North when their Red Cross societies hold talks next week.

South Korea's government has asked Pyongyang to release assets it seized in Seoul's portion of the Mount Kumgang resort.

Tours to the resort were a rare source of hard currency for the impoverished North. Seoul suspended the program in 2008 when a North Korean guard shot and killed a South Korean tourist near the resort.