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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Dec-2010
24-Dec-10 News -- North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent'

Web Log - December, 2010

24-Dec-10 News -- North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent'

Racist violence threatens Russia's world cup plans

North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent'

South Korea staged a huge show of military force on Thursday, just south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea.

S. Korea's K-9 self-propelled guns firing live rounds on Thursday (Chosun)

S. Korea's K-9 self-propelled guns firing live rounds on Thursday (Chosun)

South Korean army troops fired shells from howitzers and tanks, while attack helicopters and jets dropped bombs, in a military exercise to repel a mock North Korean invasion, according to Chosun.

The drills occurred exactly one month after the North Koreans shelled Yeonpyeong Island, killing four South Koreans.

South Korea never responded militarily to those attacks, but now the Korea Herald reports that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is saying that in such situations, counterattacks are necessary for peace:

"I thought patience would bring peace to this land but I was wrong.
I realize that tough actions enable us to keep peace, deter provocations and prevent war.
Pyongyang [North Korea] believes its provocations can divide South Korea. Strong national unity and powerful responses will allow us to deter the North from aggression."

In response, North Korea's Minister of the People's Armed Forces Kim Yong-chun hinted at a nuclear attack on South Korea, according to Chosun:

"Our revolutionary armed forces are fully ready to start a sacred war based on the nuclear deterrent at a time we deem necessary.
If the U.S. imperialists and their followers should ignite an all-out war, our revolutionary armed forces will annihilate the aggressors and their strongholds, to remove the root of war and achieve the historic cause of the fatherland's reunification.
[South Korea] launched a military provocation by firing artillery shells consecutively during an exercise for an aggressive war in the West Sea. This shows that the enemy's aggressive plan aimed at igniting a second Korean War has now entered a practical stage.
[The North] will not hesitate to strike [if the enemy] invades even 0.001mm of its sky, land and sea."

China's state-run Global Post blamed the South Koreans for the dangerous situation, but also conceded that the North had overreacted:

"Without letting the world breathe a sigh of relief after North Korea showed restraint following South Korea's artillery drill on Monday, the South moved on with an even larger display of military exercises.
The North's firing back in November that left four South Koreans dead was an overreaction but the South's continuous bombast is putting it at a disadvantage that will draw international criticism.
The Korean leaders, military and think tanks appear to be trapped in their triumph after their Monday live-fire drill near the North Korean border. Many believe that if they try to be nice, Pyongyang will never stop; and if they play tough, the other side will back off.
But the two Koreas are not street hoodlums, nor bullies in the schoolyard."

However, the same article also makes clear whose side China is on:

"But when the South loses its temper and insists on provocative military maneuvers along the border, China will not be siding with the South. The international community should also be clear about the situation, as it needs to pull the South back from the edge of the cliff."

Positions continue to harden on all sides, which is the normal trend during a generational Crisis era.

Additional links

Racist violence among Russian soccer fans, targeting Muslim migrants from the Caucasus provinces, is threatening Russia's plans to hold the soccer World Cup in Moscow in 2018. Time

Two small bombs exploded on Thursday in the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome. Two people were injured. no one has taken credit, but it's believed that the bombs were linked to Italian left-wing anarchists, and to to anti-austerity protests in Italy and Greece. CS Monitor

In the three months since the end of the moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank, there has been a settlement-building boom, and plans for thousands more Israeli settlers to live in numerous West Bank reasons. There are 2,000 housing units being built now, with 13,000 more in the pipeline. NY Times

A rift between the Vatican and the government of China is growing after the Vatican accused the Chinese government of using violence against Catholic Bishops, priests and lay faithful in China, to coerce the church into following government policies. Catholic Online

A new form of computerized stock trading is increasing. Computer programs read and interpret news reports, editorials, company web sites, blog posts and even Twitter feeds, and use information in algorithms that instantaneously buy and sell securities. NY Times

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 24-Dec-10 News -- North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent' thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (24-Dec-2010) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Dec-2010 24-Dec-10 News -- North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent'

North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent'

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Dec-2010
24-Dec-10 News -- North Korea threatens 'sacred war based on nuclear deterrent'