Posted on the online English-language version of the Chosun Ilbo:
A North Korean mouthpiece in Japan said Wednesday the U.S. fabricated stories of an imminent ballistic missile test-launch by Pyongyang but hinted the North may halt the launch all the same.
Come again?
The U.S. is lying about the missile that you say you *might* delay launching anyway? Either something is getting lost in the translation or we’re all being treated to another episode of ‘let’s pretend North Korea has a legitimate, rational government instead genocidal thug dictator with a Hollywood complex.’ Apparently a popular reality show here.
Lest you think it’s all about Dokdo, the World Cup and what to wear during the monsoon over here, some are indeed preoccupied with our burgeoning Asian missile crisis.
While reminding us that the Western news media’s version of “covering” the Korean peninsula is to monitor what’s published in translations of the Seoul major dailies, the Marmot also points out why Seoul’s reaction isn’t what some in the international community expect:
You also have to take into consideration the fact that most of South Korea has been within North Korean missile range for quite some time, and most here in Seoul—well within the range of North Korean artillery—take it for granted that in the event of hostilities, we’d have at most a couple of minutes to kiss our asses goodbye, nukes or no nukes. ICBMs are even more irrelevant.
Intercontinental missiles are, pretty much by definition, not for use in hitting countries a six-seven hour drive away. Yes, they put parts of the United States within range of North Korean stupidity, but so what? Welcome to our world.
Contrary to popular opinion, however, he says South Korea has a lot to lose from a DPRK test launch and the government knows it. (Recent whistling past the graveyard notwithstanding).
Seoul does take the potential missile test seriously. Actually, I think they dread a test even more than Washington or Tokyo. Dollars to donuts the U.S. and Japan actually want the North to launch, as it provides them even more justification to up the pressure on the North, makes it tougher for China to continue protecting the North in the UN (which Beijing will continue to do anyway, but at greater diplomatic cost), and who knows—they might even get a chance to try out that snazzy new missile defense system they’ve been working on.
If the North fires a missile, the black haze you’ll see on the horizon won’t be from a warhead going off; it will be South Korea’s efforts to get the Americans to play nice with Pyongyang going up in smoke. The North would have shot itself in the foot once again, but it will be the South that does the bleeding.
It’s probably also worth noting that there are probably a few South Korean officials who fear the Americans might actually respond to a test by delivering a world of hurt on the North via B-2 or F-117, and do I really have to explain why somebody within North Korean artillery range and a one-hour drive from a goodly percentage of the Korean People’s Army might not necessarily view that as a fortuitous turn of events?
The South Koreans aren’t underplaying reports because they’re not concerned about a test. They’re simply trying to keep the situation calm while they pray to sweet Jesus the North doesn’t screw them once again.
I’ve clipped some of the interesting stuff here, but the entire post is really a must-read, particularly the ensuing discussion in the comments. I’m glad to see this getting more attention. I was wondering why we haven’t been hearing about this, like nonstop, for days, instead of it taking a back seat to soccer.
Maybe, like Kushibo says, it’s simply “threat fatique.” I guess it sort of indicates I’m new here. Hello? Dictator within a day’s drive is planning to test an ICBM . . . That’s not good, right?
Um, right?
