It would cost him everything not to.Now this is a huge gamble because it could cost him everything to assert his strength, assuming that's what he is trying to do in the first place.
Then you're wrong.You seem to be assuming what most are this is to portray his strength, that North Korea doesn't stand a chance, I beg to differ on both assumptions
That doesn't make you any less wrong. Even NK knows it doesn't stand a chance against the combined might of every other major world power, and its barely-capable missiles probably wouldn't make it across the pacific, and even if they did, NORAD would shoot them down before they even entered US airspace. South Korea has similar anti-weapons technology from their association with the US.but again that is my point of view on the situation.
So he starves his people a bit more and blames the starvation on foreign powers. He knows nobody's going to do anything unless he actually sends weapons out. You don't really seem to understand how North Korea (or international policy as a whole) works.Also even if he asserts his strength, his country will now be cut off more from the rest of the world and stricter sanctions will probably be placed and his country struggling even more to support itself, so if you ask me playing a cat and mouse game with us or anyone isn't beneficial to him or anyone else..
Because it means the same (e.g., nothing). They're rattling their cage. They do this every few years.I fail to see how loading missiles into launchers is anything close to shouting insults..
Having a loaded gun is a lot different than firing a loaded gun. Or in this case, pointing a loaded gun at a room full of armed police officers with their assault rifles trained on you and making empty threats at them is a lot different than firing that gun at them.Thats not even a sick joke at a time like this, its playing with fire almost literally.
Either way, playing with a loaded gun not the brightest of ideasBecause it means the same (e.g., nothing). They're rattling their cage. They do this every few years.
Having a loaded gun is a lot different than firing a loaded gun. Or in this case, pointing a loaded gun at a room full of armed police officers with their assault rifles trained on you and making empty threats at them is a lot different than firing that gun at them.
Either way, playing with a loaded gun not the brightest of ideas
Then you're wrong.
So he starves his people a bit more and blames the starvation on foreign powers. He knows nobody's going to do anything unless he actually sends weapons out. You don't really seem to understand how North Korea (or international policy as a whole) works.
If push comes to shove, the Chinese rely more on the US than vice versa in terms of trade. I don't know how debt comes into the picture but it obviously has an effect. If China attacks, it's probably not out of respect for the alliance, but in its self-interest for security purposes.
With all this being said, I'd really like to see Korea unite. It would probably be my foreign-policy/diplomatic dream come true. For then you'll have three different powers in their own right: China, Korea and Japan in East Asia. I think then there would be a good guarantee of peace in the region without the United States. Which would be good for all countries - I say this even from the US perspective because you guys need defence cuts XD
I may be getting ahead of myself but if North Korea were to fall the nations participating in the occupation/ reconstruction will need to secure the Nukes and make sure no terrorist/ outside party gets their hands on them.
Either way, playing with a loaded gun not the brightest of ideas
So TIL that North Korea has a 200,000 strong special operations force. Think SEALS + Rangers + Delta + SAS. It's amazing because that's roughly the size of the marine corps. It's been called North Korea's asymmetric threat, cuz they'll ninja the crap out of South Korea even before war is declared XD
There are about 180,000 special operational forces soldiers.[3]
A lot of our tech - Smartphones, computer components, other stuff - is constructed in China btw. If China does cut trade, some aspects of our economy will remain untouched, some will take a small hit, and some will be kicked right in the balls.
If it wasn't for Cold War with the Soviet Union then Korea would have already unified. The split between North and South was like Germany. It wasn't supposed to last as long as it did, and in Korea's case, has. From another angle, China also prevented unification when they got involved in the Korean War. Frankly, as long as the distrust between the US and Chinese government lasts I highly doubt that unification will occur.
They have about 180,000 according to wikipedia
Still pretty large, they also have Bio weapons, submarines, nukes, missiles, mortars, automatic weapons, rockets, grenades, 1.5 million strong active and trained military... I could go on but whats the point, everyone thinks they dont have a chance cause they have dated weapons/arsenal. I respectfully disagree look at what ordinary people(taliban) with barbaric training continue to do to our military with nails, homemade explosives, AK's and Rockets..
I ran into a friend at the store earlier and said pretty much the same thing. Technologically the US is superior - We can take out their central command structure, turn their air force into scrap metal, and sink whatever navy they have with no effort. But should it turn into a ground war then, as Iraq and Trashcanistan (Afghanistan) showed us, our technological superiority wouldn't mean **** and we would be in for another long ground war.
I'm not too sure about this. I don't know if the North Koreans have modernized old models like how the HUMVEE was made more relevant in Iraq. But if they haven't, they're still relying on old shells and metal armour which is no match for the superdense sabot rounds and chemical armour tanks of the US and Korea are armed with. Especially if the US has Abrams in North Korea. I would kind of be excited if China joined an invasion, because that would allow them to test their newest tank model. I know it's macabre, but I really, really, want to see how it turns out in combat. There are so tank varieties in the world, but I don't think many have been battle-tested.A tank is still a tank no matter how old and it can still kill...
In terms of conventional warfare with airpower + armoured vehicles + missiles + artillery, the North Koreans would probably get destroyed by South Korea/United States/China, but not before causing maybe 2 million civilian casualties due to population density and distance. Otherwise they should be defeated relatively quickly as air superiority + concentration of force + technology should destroy their command structure and their ability to call on support, making their forces combat ineffective. Like how the ground war with Iraq, if I remember correctly, lasted a couple of months.
Again this is all just assumptions, you dont know this for sure and wont if/when we go to war with them. Yea it seems we would win but crazier things have happened in the world. Think back to Hannibal and Rome. He didnt really beat rome but he caused them great damage and loss of life. If rome didnt resort to cheap tatics by cutting off the carthaginians food supply hannibal might have crushed rome...
I'm just saying its possible we could lose, china could support NK and russia as well.. I wish people would stop being so arrogant, hell this country was founded by us defeating the British which no one thought we ever could..