Pyongyang: We'll put a torch to New York

[Terminal23]

By Shane Green, Herald Correspondent in Tokyo
March 8 2003





North Korea would launch a ballistic missile attack on the United States if Washington made a pre-emptive strike against the communist state's nuclear facility, the man described as Pyongyang's "unofficial spokesman" claimed yesterday.

Kim Myong-chol, who has links to the Stalinist regime, told reporters in Tokyo that a US strike on the nuclear facility at Yongbyon "means nuclear war".

"If American forces carry out a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon facility, North Korea will immediately target, carry the war to the US mainland," he said, adding that New York, Washington and Chicago would be "aflame".

A pre-emptive strike on Yongbyon is one of the strategic options in the crisis over North Korea's nuclear arms program. The US has deployed 24 long-range bombers to the Pacific base of Guam capable of launching such a strike.

Mr Kim, who has written a text studied by North Korean military leaders, predicted North Korea would restart its reprocessing plant to make weapons-grade plutonium this month.

A nuclear weapon would be produced by the end of next month, with another five by the end of the year, he said. This was on top of a suspected nuclear arsenal of 100 weapons.

The ultimate aim of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, was the "neutralisation of the American factor" in the region, Mr Kim said.

This would be achieved by striking a non-aggression pact with the US or becoming an "official" nuclear power, thereby making the US nuclear umbrella in the region irrelevant. "Both ways, Kim Jong-il is a winner," Mr Kim said.

"By the end of the year, I predict Bush will be in Pyongyang suing for peace," Mr Kim said. While his comments are extreme, they match the heated and belligerent rhetoric of North Korea, which has previously warned of nuclear war and turning the cities of its enemies into a "sea of ashes".

The Bush Administration yesterday made renewed calls on China and other countries in the region to help broker a solution to the crisis. In his live televised press conference, Mr Bush said North Korea's nuclear program was a regional issue.

"I say 'regional' because there's a lot of countries that have got a direct stake into whether or not North Korea has nuclear weapons," Mr Bush said. "We've got a stake as to whether North Korea has nuclear weapons. China clearly has a stake as to whether or not North Korea has a nuclear weapon."

The Bush Administration is pushing for multilateral talks with North Korea but the communist state wants direct talks with Washington.

In the meantime, diplomatic activity is continuing behind the scenes. "We have a number of diplomatic initiatives under way - some of them very, very quietly under way - to see if we cannot get a multilateral dialogue started," the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, told a US Senate Committee.

Yesterday the US also flagged the possible withdrawal of its 37,000 troops from South Korea, part of the rethink of a deployment in place since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said the US was consulting with South Korea and he suspected "we'll end up making some adjustments there".

"Whether the forces come home or whether they will move further south of the [Korean] peninsula or whether to some neighbouring area are the kinds of things that are being sorted out," he said at a "town hall" meeting in Germany.

[OuTpaTienT]

[Nighthawk]

I didn't even think they had weapons capable of going that far inland.. Not that it helps me in Seattle, though

Seriously, how does this guy stay in power? He's starving his own people to buy more military stuff and keeps saying stuff that seems designed to start a war.. I'm wondering why China and South Korea (And us) put up with it.

[SPEEDO]

It may be a good idea for GW to let the inspectors keep looking for WMD's in Iraq and take a good hard look at this NK situation.

My post from a previous thread.

I think the US should let Saddam stew for a while and let the inspectors do their deed. Right now we need to figure out what to do with N. Korea as this is truly a loose cannon that has emerged to threaten us............

[OuTpaTienT]

And what exactly are the inspectors going to do? Continue to get jerked around? Because that's ALL they've been good for. The ONLY reason they made any minor advances in recent days is because we have 300,000 troops ready to pounce at a moments notice.

[Chuckiechan]

Maybe he needs N.Korea to shoot first so as to obliterate them without China getting involved.

We don't really know where China would be if we attack N. Korea. Lest just say that GWB sits down with the North and they say get out of asia or else! Then what? Saddam didn't invent the game of stalling.

BTW: where are the politicians that have been fighting against a ballistic missile shield for so long, saying it was "destabilizing"?

"If American forces carry out a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon facility, North Korea will immediately target, carry the war to the US mainland," he said, adding that New York, Washington and Chicago would be "aflame".

There's a big if there.

[Chuckiechan]

I would like to more accurately rephrase thet quote:

"If American forces carry out a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon facility, North Korea will immediately ...Hello? Hello? Missiles? Army? Where are you? Wow! All my stuff is aflame! My missiles are smoking rubble in their silos!

Probably closer to the point. Also, NK will witness our destruction of Iraq's military and re-think their invective.

[no1_vern]

Originally posted by Nighthawk
I didn't even think they had weapons capable of going that far inland.. Not that it helps me in Seattle, though

Seriously, how does this guy stay in power? He's starving his own people to buy more military stuff and keeps saying stuff that seems designed to start a war.. I'm wondering why China and South Korea (And us) put up with it.

UM,
NIghthawk I think its the fact that ALL THE GUNS are in the hands of the Government. Unforunately so many countries are like that - all the power in the hands of a few corrupt powerful people.

He would never last a day in a real society like ours.

Vern

[MD1032]

And Bush is worried about IRAQ?!?!?!