@humphrey @humphrey ...since the failed summit at Hanoi in Feb. 2019. Thanks John Bolton. North Korea made a crucial error of judgement by conducting missile tests during the South Korean presidential election campaign in 2022. This in effect played right into far right candidate Yoon's hands, enabling him to play the national security issue, to get elected president, by a very small margin. Yoon had expressed the desire to jettison the Sept 2018 military agreement with North Korea in Jan 22, during the campaign. That is what he has been doing lately, and at the same, allowing the US to discard whatever remained of the agreements Trump reached with Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

US-ROK huge military ground and air exercises, bringing B-52s and B1-bs to the peninsula, along with US Carrier Strike Group visits, and an SSN at one point, all violate the Singapore understandings. The US and Yoon's response is essentially a childish "he did it first mommy." Who is going to break the vicious cycle of escalation? These as everyone notices are the biggest US-RoK military exercises in five years. The ROK Navy is even participating in naval maneuvers which include Japanese forces.

The appropriateness and the effectiveness of this US-ROK response is questionable at best. I listened to analyst Kim Jong-tae's presentation on this topic two days ago. He pointed out that there really is no effective military response to threats of nuclear war beyond the nuclear deterrent itself. The missile threats from North Korea, as claimed, (they may not be perfected yet) including cruise missiles, with very low profiles, and shorter ranged ballistic missiles with flat apogees and variable guidance, are really not effectively defensible. This is why talk of so called preemptive strikes are in vogue on the US/allied side. But North Korea solid fueled ballistic missiles fired from silos or mobile platforms are not all going to be stopped or intercepted. More likely they can be fired before they are detected and responded to.

Rather than a tit for tat escalatory response, there needs to be a standdown in military activity, and overtures for negotiations that can be looked upon with some credibility. The problem is that this sort of approach is not only unacceptable politically in the US, but also for South Korea's Yoon. Yoon doesn't know how to walk something back, and has zero diplomatic leverage over the US or Japan. Instead he keeps doubling down on moves, military and diplomatic that only provoke North Korea to greater excesses.

I listened to an excellent analysis of Yoon as a leader the other day. He is not an experienced politician. His knowledge of foreign affairs is virtually non-existent. He is at one and the same time accustomed to giving orders, and doesn't negotiate. Yet he is completely dependent on his advisors particularly on one foreign policy advisor educated in the US. He is vindictive if not sadistic. He enjoys seeing his political opponents suffer. He is oriented to threats and revenge in his execution of duties. His constant reference to his personal philosophy of "courage" as the key to life, really belies a lack of confidence, fear of foreign powers, including so called allies, like the US, and definitely North Korea. Because of his personal history and wariness of US commitment, he is inappropriately submissive to Japan. He is above all, the wrong leader at wrong time for South Korea.

Fox Mar 24

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol promised on Friday to punish North Korea for the communist nation's recent series of "provocations."

"North Korea is advancing its nuclear weapons day by day and conducting missile provocations with unprecedented intensity," said Yoon.

He made the comments at the Daejeon national cemetery to commemorate the anniversary of West Sea Defense Day — a holiday in honor of servicemen who lost their lives defending the maritime border with North Korea.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korean-president-i-will-make-sure-no...

The joint exercises by the South Korean and US militaries, which wrapped up on Thursday, was met by North Korea with various demonstrations of its nuclear capabilities. North Korea unveiled a series of new nuclear-capable weapons, from submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) to nuclear torpedoes.

As North Korea ratchets up its nuclear threat by developing a variety of launch vehicles to neutralize South Korea and the US’ extended deterrence, tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the arms race are growing exceedingly precarious.

In response to the Freedom Shield drill held from March 13 to March 23, North Korea unveiled several new strategic weapons. Starting with an SLCM on March 12, it claimed to have launched and detonated a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) and a cruise missile in the air, 600-800 meters above its target, on March 19 and March 22.

The aerial detonation of nuclear warheads is intended to maximize the kill radius; the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II had a blast altitude of 570 meters.

On March 21-23, North Korea claimed that it conducted underwater explosion tests on an “unmanned underwater nuclear attack craft,” which appears to be an underwater drone-type nuclear torpedo.

https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/english_editorials/10853...

Nothing is going to "neutralize US extended deterrence." This is a straw man. North Korea is trying to neutralize the US-ROK conventional threat which is far superior to their own, with threats of a nuclear response.

Amidst the worst military tensions in Korea in decades, the @nytimes wants you to think the United States is just an innocent bystander, wringing its hands as "anxious Asia" gets ready for war. Those nuclear aircraft carriers and nuclear-capable B-52s and B-1Bs? Peace, man! pic.twitter.com/KQqNfYso4O

— Tim Shorrock (@TimothyS) March 28, 2023

Kim Jong-tae referred to US strategic bombers sent to the Korean peninsula as "spectacle" more than anything else, because they were obsolete in terms of the modern battlefield anywhere else. They are provocative that's about it. Their presence is eliciting the very responses that they purportedly deter.

North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material to expand the country's arsenal, state media KCNA said, as a US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for military drills https://t.co/lZRO5DXQFH pic.twitter.com/F4HXJxTcYI

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 28, 2023

@MrWebster

introducing DU onto the battlefield, via UK poodles, desensitizes the news
consuming public to accept the idea of "safe nukes".
As in the tactical nukes which O'bomber developed for just such occasions.

Pretty sure the RF has anticipated this eventual development and has plans
for a response. Our brain-dead leaders care not about the human or
environmental consequences. It's all about showing who's boss.

And it will be okay if that land is polluted with depleted uranium? That is of course if NATO is deliberating giving the shells to ensure the lands conquered by the Russians have been poisoned. I am only a Certified CNN Armchair Warrior of Rank Major, but one strength, maybe thee strength is that the rounds can penetrate armor. One pundit opined that one rarely sees tank on tank engagements as that is old war tactics. The Russians in particular use stand off weapons like tank fire, missiles, artillery shells, thermo-rockets, drones, fire from helicopters/jets., etc to take Ukrainian armor at a distance.

It looks like the tanks are the new next-in-line wonder weapon which will turn the war against Russia.

@wouldsman "Control the food, and you control the world." It has been a war tactic since forever.
No telling what harm to the food chain all those unexploded bombs still around in Laos and Cambodia. Places you are not safe to walk, much less farm.
I remember a guide educating our tour about the potato's importance in Poland. Since Poland is flat, and invaders could sweep it from any direction, including the sea coast, that the invaders made it a point to run their armies over crops. The one crop that survived the horses' hooves was potatoes.
Now, it is permanent, or at the very least, long term soil contamination. The US didn't hesitate to ruin Japan's soil, or Viet Nam's, and they do not give a shit if Russians starve en masse.
Excuse me. I gotta go wave a flag for a few minutes.

and thanks for bringing this subject front and center. War is just so anti environment. Two older friends of mine have recently shared stories of their service related illnesses. Both 'nam and both agent orange. Here we (and THEY- the 'namese) are still dealing with this 40 plus years later. Millions of lives ruined with toxic weaponry. And now the DU. Birth defects, cancer, etc. The Russkies have been wise enough to shelve their inventory of DU out of concern for their own infantrymen. May we have the decency to come to our senses and do the same someday.... Not holding my breathe.

The garden was be you ti full yesterday. I split wood just outside the fence for a few hours. The maple syrup operation that I help support had 14 55 gallon drums of finished product as of last night. I hauled 4 gallons up to Bryant Lake Bowl (Minneapolis hipster dining and bowling) for the enjoyment of their customers. I split wood but stayed out of the garden. Too muddy still. But soon. So soon. Sand Hill cranes have returned. Eagles are on the nest. Snow geese and Canada geese.
Why oh why do we have to ruin all of this. I bet rural Ukraine is a beautiful as any country boy would want to see. Fertile fields. Waterfowl. Do they have wild turkey? Pheasants? Quail? Maybe chukar?
Come on humanity. We can do better. Quit shi##ing in your own garden.