 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Any NKorean attack would be sudden but futile: US general
Seoul (AFP) July 14, 2009 A senior US military officer said Tuesday that any North Korean attack on South Korea would be sudden and "extremely destructive", but would ultimately fail. Major General Johnny A. Weida, outgoing deputy chief of staff for the US Forces Korea, also said such an attack is highly unlikely because it would spell the end of Kim Jong-Il's regime. More than two-thirds of the North's forces are within 90 km (56 miles) of the border with South Korea, Weida said. "They could attack, if they were so inclined, with very little notice," he told a group of civilians touring the Demilitarised Zone on the frontier. The US stations 28,500 troops to support South Korea's 655,000-strong military against the North. "It is our assessment that, because of their failing economy and limited support from traditional allies like Russia and China, they could not sustain a major offensive like they did in the first Korean War," Weida said. His comments were reported by Yonhap news agency and confirmed by a US military spokesman. The communist North in May lashed out at South Korea's decision to join a US-led anti-proliferation initiative as tantamount to a declaration of war, and threatened an attack if any of its ships are stopped. Leaders of its 1.2-million-strong military declared themselves no longer bound by the armistice which ended the 1950-53 war on the peninsula. North Korea is considered the world's fourth largest military power with the largest special forces unit and artillery units, Weida said. "Their attack, however limited, would be extremely destructive to South Korea," he said. Weida described the North's leader Kim as "a pretty frail, sick man." South Korean cable news station YTN said this week, in an unconfirmed report, that Kim has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is widely believed to have suffered a stroke last August. "If he miscalculates and attacks South Korea, he and his regime are done," Weida said, calling such an offensive "extremely unlikely because this guy (Kim) wants to live." Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
NKorea to host mass games despite high tensionSeoul (AFP) July 9, 2009 North Korea vowed Thursday to host its Arirang festival -- the world's largest mass performance -- this year, despite high regional tensions sparked by its nuclear test and multiple missile launches. The festival will be staged at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang from August 10 to late September, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The announcement comes as the communist ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook