Posted September 12, 200420 yr Scary stuff here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...id=516&ncid=716 Blast, Mushroom Cloud Reported in N. Korea 51 minutes ago By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea (news - web sites), sending a huge mushroom cloud into the air on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday. The Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified source in Beijing, said the explosion happened Thursday in Yanggang province near the border with China. The explosion in Kim Hyong Jik county blasted a crater big enough to be noticed by a satellite, the source said. "We understand that a mushroom-shaped cloud about 3.5 to 4 kilometers (about 2-2 1/2 miles) in diameter was monitored during the explosion," Yonhap quoted an unidentified diplomatic source in Seoul as saying. North Korea was founded Sept. 9, 1948. Leader Kim Jong Il uses the occasion to stage performances and other events to bolster loyalty among the impoverished North Korean population. Experts have speculated that North Korea might use a major anniversary to conduct a nuclear-related test, though there was no immediate indication that Thursday's reported explosion was linked to Pyongyang's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Kim Hyong Jik is reported to hold a major missile base. North Korea, which has a large missile arsenal and more than 1 million soldiers, is dotted with military installations. South Korea (news - web sites)'s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Sunday the government was in the process of confirming reports there were signs of an explosion in North Korea. "I am not aware of details such as the size of the damage," he was quoted as saying by Yonhap after a National Security Council meeting. On Saturday, North Korea said recent revelations that South Korea conducted secret nuclear experiments involving uranium and plutonium made the communist state more determined to pursue its own atomic programs. The South Korean experiments, conducted in 1982 and 2000, were likely to further complicate the already stalled six-nation talks aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear development. South Korea has said the experiments were purely for research and did not reflect a desire to develop weapons. On April 22, train wagons at a railway station exploded in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, killing 160 people and injuring an estimated 1,300, according to some estimates. The blast was believed to have been sparked by a train laden with oil and chemicals that hit power lines. The source in the Yonhap report said Thursday's explosion reportedly was bigger than the train explosion.
September 12, 200420 yr f*** we're all going to die. that f***er bush waited too long. we bomb iraq and now korea has missiles and a warhead that can hit alaska. our government sucks.
September 12, 200420 yr f*** we're all going to die. that f***er bush waited too long. we bomb iraq and now korea has missiles and a warhead that can hit alaska. 554122[/snapback] If elected, that would probably be Kerry's response to a threat from north korea. :mischief
September 12, 200420 yr say what you please, but one's speculation cannot cover for a known failing of the current administration.
September 12, 200420 yr exactly, we're too late. it's time to arm taiwan, japan, and south korea. let china do the rest.
September 12, 200420 yr wow.? Did we invade the wrong country?? Speak Bushies. 554271[/snapback] You can't "invade" the DPRK. No marshaling areas, the DMZ is poor armor terrain, DPRK has the highest concentration of AA on the planet, etc. 554321[/snapback] My point was that a huge percentage of our military resources are committed to a war which didn't do much to protect our country. Is this correct or do we have a large reserve force to handle any problems that arise from this situation? I'm no expert on military operations/capacity of the US.
September 12, 200420 yr I just read that NK has a million man army. Could we even beat them in a conventional war?
September 12, 200420 yr So they have lots of ground troops, but not enough air power to win? 554815[/snapback] precisely. we can esily bomb their roads, they have no jungles to hide in. they can retreat to their mountains I guess (my idea of korean geography isn't too accurate), but then that is equivalent to waiting to die. their army probably does not number 1 million men. furthermore, they have nowhere to go but the parallel. if they attack, they expose themselves and get blown away. if we attack, we can bomb infrastructure and bases nullifying the effect of their ground forces.
September 13, 200420 yr Reports are that the explosion days ago was a "deliberate detonation of a mountain" as part of a hydroelectric project.
September 13, 200420 yr Tonyi correct me if im wrong, but dont we have most of our troops spread out over european bases? In fact more than doubling the # stationed in iraq
September 13, 200420 yr Reports are that the explosion days ago was a "deliberate detonation of a mountain" as part of a hydroelectric project. 555853[/snapback] that would explain a lot, can we have a source so i can sleep better at night?
September 13, 200420 yr link it's a BBC report, c/o abcnews. this is just from N Korea's mouth so far...
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