compiled and written by John Vodila
4/1/2013
Brief History and Perspective for the Thinking Mind.
Korea inhabited and attacked for over a half of a million years.
Korea; the Western name for the Koryo dynasty in 935 AD then to be superseded by the Choson dynasty, also known as the Yi dynasty in 1392; after over 162 years of Mongolian invasion and occupation then to be invaded by Japan in 1592 and 1597, attacked by the French in 1866 after the execution of a convert French Catholic priest in Korea that resulted in a French retreat; China and Russia’s attempt to block Japans control over Korea for their agendas (uranium and rail/gas lines) created the Sino/Russo-Japanese War from 1894-1905. Japan remained in control from both wars and annexed Korea as part of Japan in 1910; Korea remained under forceful Japanese control until Japan’s defeat in 1945 at the end of World War II.
After the surrender by Japan in December 1945 the future of Korea was debated in Moscow by a joint Soviet/American commission where the hopes for an independent Korea soon dissolved; Korea was promptly divided into occupation zones, the South fully occupied by the United States and the North momentarily occupied by the Soviet Union. There is too much history here for me to get involved with it, the bottom line is Russia and China gave the North their independence back and the South is still under occupation of the United States to this day with an estimated 15 bases and 26000- 28000 military personnel.
Korea/Communist in the North and American Capitalism/Democracy in the South creating conflict, and so it was in 1950 North Korea Kim Il-sung attempting to unify Korea commenced an enormous surprise attack on the South beginning the horrendous Korean War; it seems so many have forgot about today.
In 1953 an armistice agreement was signed by the North Korean People’s Army, the Chinese People’s Volunteers, and the United Nations Charter; the United States and US controlled South Korea never signed it but abide by it.
US installations in South Korea
So it is still today Korea remains divided and in an endless state of turmoil, anyone who has the notion of ever reuniting Korea and giving them real independence will have another thought coming, just as future South Korean President Kim Dae Jung found out in 1973 when he was kidnaped and almost killed in Tokyo by the CIA/South Korean Intelligence services for his condemnation of then President Park’s yushin program of arbitrary powers, nevertheless Kim was sworn in as President of South Korea on Feb 25th 1998 and implemented his Sunshine Policy to bring the divided Koreas closer together, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000; the Sunshine Policy was the foreign policy until Lee Myung-bak’s controversial election in 2008.The fact of the matter is Korea is divided by force, the South is occupied and controlled by the United States just as Japan is and so many other once sovereign nations; the US has over 800 military bases in 130 countries from last reports.
Little known and NEVER heard of…
The United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea in January 1958, 950 warheads were there in 1967; it is no wonder why North Korea pursued the nuclear bomb. Below 5 paragraphs from nukestrat.com with a link to the full report.
The United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea for 33 years. The first weapons arrived in January 1958, well after the ending of the Korean War, and four years after forward deployment of nuclear weapons began in Europe. Over the years the numbers and types of nuclear weapons in South Korea changed frequently. At one point in the late 1960s, as many as eight different types were deployed at the same time (see chart).
Even before the weapons began arriving in January 1958, the U.S. Far East Command Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) from November 1956 identified two locations in Korea (Uijongbu and Anyang-Ni) with a capability to receive and handle nuclear weapons if necessary.
Actual deployments began in January 1958, four and a half years after the end of the Korean War, with the introduction of five nuclear weapon systems: the Honest John surface-to-surface missile, the Matador cruise missile, the Atomic-Demolition Munition (ADM) nuclear landmine, and the 280-mm gun and 8-inch (203mm) howitzer.
Nuclear bombs for fighter bombers arrived in March 1958, followed by three surface-to-surface missile systems (Lacrosse, Davy Crockett, and Sergeant) between July 1960 and September 1963. The dual-mission Nike Hercules anti-air and surface-to-surface missile arrived in January 1961, and finally the 155-mm Howitzer arrived in October 1964. At the peak of this build-up, nearly 950 warheads were deployed in South Korea.
Four of the weapon types only remained deployed for a few years, while the others stayed for decades. The 8-inch Howitzer stayed until late 1991, the only of the weapon to be deployed throughout the entire 33-year period of U.S. nuclear weapons deployment to South Korea. The other weapons that stayed till the end were the air delivered bombs (several different bomb types were deployed over the years, ending with the B61) and the 155-mm Howitzer nuclear artillery.
Full report at this link http://www.nukestrat.com/korea/koreahistory.htm
Below compiled from past notes, most likely from Wikipedia and other sites. We hear and read much of how the people in North Korea are poor, starving, brutally repressed, the photos from space of a country with no lights at night and all the usual propaganda, what we don’t hear about is the cause of this are from brutal economic sanctions that began on June 28, 1950 just after the Korean War began; sanctions like the same ones we had on Iraq that killed over 500,000 children in the 90s, sanction are an act of war and more brutal in many ways, the only ones effected by them are the citizens not the government; sanctions are a crime against humanity and do nothing but create endless larger problems and create hate towards those that impose them.
1945 – After World War II, Japanese occupation of Korea ends with Soviet troops occupying the north, and US troops the south.
1946 – North Korea’s Communist Party (Korean Workers’ Party – KWP) inaugurated. Soviet-backed leadership installed, including Red Army-trained Kim Il-sung.
1948 – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proclaimed. Soviet troops withdraw.
1950 – Korean War breaks out.
United States institutes total embargo on exports to North Korea.
President Truman declares a state of national emergency in U.S. because of Korean War.
Department of Treasury issues Foreign Assets Control Regulations (FACR), forbidding
financial transactions by, or on behalf of, North Korea, including transactions for travel.
These regulations also froze North Korean assets held under U.S. jurisdiction.
1953 – Armistice ends Korean War, at the cost of two million lives.
1955 – U.S. issues first International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) which includes
North Korea on list of countries that should be denied, “licenses, other approvals, exports and imports of defense articles and defense services.”
1960s – Rapid industrial growth.
1965 – When Export Administration Regulations (EARs) are revised categorizing countries according to level of restriction, North Korea continues to be on the list of most restricted countries—Country Group Z.
1968 – US intelligence-gathering vessel seized by North Korean gunboats.
1969 – US reconnaissance plane shot down.
1972 – After secret North-South talks, both sides seek to develop
1975 – Korea- related Foreign Asset Control Regulations (FACRs) revised to prohibit transactions related to agricultural products that contained raw goods originating in the DPRK.
1980 – Kim Il-sung’s son, Kim Jong-il, moves up party and political ladder.
1985 – DPRK joins NPT.
1987 – KAL flight 858 is bombed, reportedly by North Korean agents.
1988 – North Korea is added to U.S. Department of State’s list of state sponsors or supporters of international terrorism.
1989 – EARs revised to allow export of “commercially-supplied goods intended to meet basic human needs” to DPRK with licenses granted on a case-by-case basis. Revisions ease regulations concerning travel to DPRK for special activities. Revisions to the IEEPA to reflect advances in media (such as CDs, etc.) allow for ease in flow of information materials between U.S. and certain countries, including DPRK.
1991 – North and South Korea join the UN.
1992 – FACR revised to allow telecommunication between U.S. and DPRK.
North Korea agrees to allow inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but over next two years refuses access to sites of suspected nuclear weapons production.
1994 – U.S. and DPRK Sign the Agreed Framework.
Death of Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il succeeds him as leader, but doesn’t take presidential title. North Korea agrees to freeze nuclear programme in return for $5bn worth of free fuel and two nuclear reactors.
1995 – A range of economic sanctions eased. New FACR revisions allow unlimited travel-related transactions, establishment of news organization offices and transactions related to provision of LWR. The revisions also allow for the importation of North Korean magnesite and magnesia.
US formally agrees to help provide two modern nuclear reactors designed to produce less weapons-grade plutonium.
1996 – FACR revision allows for humanitarian donations in response to DPRK floods and famine.
Severe famine follows widespread floods.
Pyongyang announces it will no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War, and sends troops into the demilitarised zone.
North Korean submarine runs aground in South.
1997 – FACR revision authorizes payments for services rendered by North Korea to U.S aircraft in connection with over flight of, or emergency landing, in the DPRK.
1998 – The late Kim Il-song declared “eternal president”, while Kim Jong-il’s powers widened to encompass head of state.
UN food aid brought in to help famine victims.
North launches rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific Ocean. Pyongyang insists it fired a satellite, not a missile.
South Korea captures North Korean mini-submarine in its waters. Crew inside found dead.
South Korea Pleads for End to Sanctions Against the North (June 8, 1998)
The government of South Korea has joined the chorus of US reports in calling for an easing of the sanctions on North Korea
1999 – The DPRK announces a self-imposed moratorium on missile testing. Pres. Clinton announces the most significant easing of trade and travel restrictions since their imposition in 1950.
May- Envoy to North Korea Delivers Clinton Letter
Under a proposal presented to North Korea by envoy William Perry, the US seeks to gradually lift long-time sanctions in exchange for major consessions from North Korea, such as stopping its long-range missile program.
Sept- Clinton Ends Most N. Korea Sanctions
Republican leaders say he’s bowing to pressure, but other voices imply the move is a step in the right direction. (Associated Press)
Clinton Eases North Korea Sanctions (September 17, 1999)
A New York Times’s article about President Clinton’s order to ease the strict trade, banking and travel restrictions against North Korea.
Easing Sanctions report by the North Korean Central News Agency on the decision to ease sanctions against North Korea after the country agreed to suspend long-range missile tests.
2000 – Historic handshake in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung
Summit in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. North stops propaganda broadcasts against the South.
Senior journalists from South Korea visit the North to open up communication.
Reopening of border liaison offices at the truce village of Panmunjom, in the no-man’s-land between the heavily fortified borders of the two countries.
South Korea gives amnesty to more than 3,500 prisoners.
One hundred North Koreans meet their relatives in the South in a highly-charged, emotional reunion.
2001 – May – A European Union delegation headed by Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson visits to help shore up the fragile reconciliation process with South Korea. The group represents the highest-level Western diplomatic mission ever to travel to North Korea.
June – North Korea says it is grappling with the worst spring drought of its history.
August – Kim Jong Il arrives for his first visit to Moscow after an epic nine-day, 10,000-kilometre train journey from Pyongyang. Kim apparently dislikes flying.
Following the 9/11 attacks in the US, Washington put North Korea on the “axis of evil” list and has since contended that North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons poses a serious threat to the world.
2002 – U.S. sanctions various North Korean entities for violation of U.S. missile nonproliferation laws found in sections of the Arms Export Control Act, Export Administration Act, and Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000. Sanctions passed on North Korean entities in 1992, 1996,1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2006 often alongside sanctions on Iranian, Syrian or Pakistani entities.
January – US President George W Bush says North Korea is part of an “axis of evil”, along with states such as Iraq and Iran. Pyongyang says Mr Bush has not stopped far short of declaring war.
June – North and South Korean naval vessels wage a gun battle in the Yellow Sea, the worst skirmish for three years. Some 30 North Korean and four South Korean sailors are killed.
September – Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visits, the first Japanese leader to do so. He meets Kim Jong-il who apologises for the abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s.
October-December – Nuclear tensions mount. In October the US says North Korea has admitted to having a secret weapons programme. The US decides to halt oil shipments to Pyongyang. In December North Korea begins to reactivate its Yongbyon reactor. International inspectors are thrown out.
December – South Korea Says Sanctions on North Korea Won’t Work
As the US calls for economic sanctions on North Korea, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung says “Pressure and isolation have never been successful with communist countries — Cuba is one example.”
2003 -
January
Sanctions ‘would mean war’ North Korea has said that economic sanctions by the U.S. would represent a declaration of war
North Korea withdraws from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a key international agreement aimed at preventing the spread of atomic weapons.
Feb – No N. Korea sanctions: Powell South Korea: The U.S. are hoping instead to increase diplomatic and political pressure on Pyongyang to rid it of its nuclear ambitions
US Shaping North Korea Sanctions
The Pentagon and the US State Department are developing detailed plans for sanctions against North Korea. The sanctions will include halting the country’s weapons shipments and cutting off money sent there by Koreans living in Japan.
April – Delegations from North Korea, the US and China begin talks in Beijing on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the first such discussions since the start of the nuclear crisis.
July – Pyongyang says it has enough plutonium to start making nuclear bombs.
August – Six-nation talks in Beijing on North Korea’s nuclear programme fail to bridge gap between Washington and Pyongyang.
October – Pyongyang says it has reprocessed 8,000 nuclear fuel rods, obtaining enough material to make up to six nuclear bombs.
2004 –
April – More than 160 killed and hundreds more injured when train carrying oil and chemicals hits power line in town of Ryongchon.
June – Third round of six-nation talks on nuclear programme ends inconclusively. North Korea pulls out of scheduled September round.
December – Row with Japan over fate of Japanese citizens kidnapped and trained as spies by North Korea in 70s, 80s. Tokyo says eight victims, said by Pyongyang to be dead, are alive.
February – Pyongyang says it has built nuclear weapons for self-defence.
September – Fourth round of six-nation talks on nuclear programme concludes. North Korea agrees to give up its weapons in return for aid and security guarantees. But it later demands a civilian nuclear reactor.
2006 –
January –
Talks hit sanctions snag N. Korea sees no point in returning to 6-country nuclear talks because of U.S. sanctions
February – High-level talks with Japan, the first since 2003, fail to yield agreement on key issues, including the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.
July -
North Korea test-fires a long-range missile, and some medium-range ones, to an international outcry. Despite reportedly having the capability to hit the US, the long-range Taepodong-2 crashes shortly after take-off, US officials say.
Japan seeks North Korea sanctions UN Security Council: A strongly worded draft resolution to the Sec. Council is calling for sanctions against N. Korea over its missile tests
Sec. Council votes for N. Korea sanctions
UN Security Council: The Security Council demanded that N. Korea suspend its ballistic missile program UN Security Council Political Sanctions Timeline
October-
North Korea claims to test a nuclear weapon for the first time.
N. Korean ship may test sanctions The U.S. suspects the merchant ship that recently left port may be carrying equipment banned equipment
North Korea condemns UN sanctions the state media: the sanctions imposed after nuclear bomb test are a declaration of war
Japan, South Korea hail sanctions vote 2 Asian states have welcomed the sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council on the North
U.N. slaps sanctions on North Korea
UN Security Council: The Council voted unanimously to slap trade, travel and other sanctions the vote had been delayed because of concerns by China and Russia. The US has revised its draft to remove the threat of military action and reduced the total embargo on military equipment
Japan announces N Korea sanctions Tough new sanctions will include banning all N. Korean imports and stopping its ships entering Japanese waters
U.S. calls for sanctions against N. Korea Washington: The United States circulated a draft resolution to U.N. Security Council calling for stiff weapons sanctions
2007 –
Jan – Cognac and iPod ban for N Korea Washington: The US has banned exports of iPods, fine wines and fast cars as part of the punishment for the nuclear bomb test last year
February – Six-nation talks on nuclear programme resume in Beijing. In a last-minute deal, North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aid.
May – Passenger trains cross the North-South border for the first time in 56 years.
June – International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors visit the Yongbyon nuclear complex for the first time since being expelled in 2002. In July, they verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor.
August – North Korea appeals for aid after devastating floods.
Nuclear declaration
October – Pyongyang commits to disable three nuclear facilities and declare all its nuclear programmes by year-end.
Japan extends N Korea sanctions Japan has extended economic sanctions, citing a lack of progress in a row over Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang.
The presidents of North and South Korea pledge at a Pyongyang summit to seek talks to formally end the Korean war.
November – North and South Korea’s prime ministers meet for the first time in 15 years.
2008 -
February – The New York Philharmonic performs a groundbreaking concert in Pyongyang – a move seen as an act of cultural diplomacy. South Korea’s new conservative President Lee Myung-bak says aid to North conditional on nuclear disarmament and human rights progress.
March-April – North-South relations deteriorate sharply. North Korea expels Southern managers from joint industrial base, test-fires short-range missiles and accuses President Lee Myung-bak of sending a warship into Northern waters.
Japan extends sanctions on N. Korea Japan extended for 6 months the economic sanctions imposed on North Korea for conducting its first test of a nuclear weapon in 2006
June – In what is seen as a key step in the denuclearisation process, North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of its nuclear assets.
US to ease North Korea sanctions Washington: The US has agreed to scrap some of its sanctions, after the isolated state handed over long-awaited details of its nuclear program
July – Soldier shoots South Korean woman in the Mount Kumgang special tourism area of North Korea, prompting further tensions.
Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hold talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament, the first such meeting for four years.
September – North Korea accuses the US of not fulfilling its part of a disarmament-for-aid deal and says it is preparing to restart the Yongbyon reactor.
October – The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorism, in return for Pyongyang agreeing to provide full access to its nuclear sites.
November – North Korea says it will cut off all overland travel to and from the South from December, and blames South Korea for pursuing a confrontational policy.
December – Pyongyang says it will slow down work to dismantle its nuclear programme in response to a US decision to suspend energy aid. The US move came following the breakdown of international talks to end the country’s nuclear activities.
Nuclear tensions rise
2009 -
January – North Korea says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing Seoul of “hostile intent”.
April – North Korea launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite; its neighbours accuse it of testing long-range missile technology. After criticism from the UN Security Council, North Korea walks out of international six-party talks aimed at winding up its nuclear programme.
Japan to extend N Korea sanctions Japan’s government has decided to extend economic sanctions for another year over N Korea recent rocket launch
Kim Jong-il attends parliamentary vote to re-elect him leader, in his first major state appearance since a suspected stroke in 2008.
May – North Korea says it successfully carries out an underground nuclear test, its second ever, drawing protests from the US, China and Russia.
It also announces that it no longer considers itself bound by the terms of the 1953 truce that ended the war between the two Koreas.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates says US “will not accept” a nuclear-armed North Korea.
June – North Korea sentences US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years hard labour for allegedly crossing the border illegally. They are freed in August, after former US President Bill Clinton visits to help secure their release.
U.N. tightens sanctions on North Korea UN Security Council: The 15-0 vote on Resolution 1874 is to expand and tighten sanctions on North Korea after that nation’s recent nuclear test
UN agrees on tougher N. Korea sanctions UN Security Council: The five permanent members have agreed on a resolution that would expand and tighten sanctions on North Korea
UN Security Council votes unanimously to impose tougher sanctions. Pyongyang responds by saying it will view any US-led attempt to blockade the country as an “act of war” and that it plans to “weaponise” its plutonium stocks.
Tensions subside
August – Pyongyang makes conciliatory gestures to Seoul. It sends a delegation to the funeral of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, frees four South Korean fishermen, and agrees to resume programme of family reunions.
November – North Korea launches a confiscatory currency reform that causes disruption to private markets and unprecedented public protests into the New Year.
December – US envoy Stephen Bosworth visits Pyongyang, reaches “common understanding” on need to resume six-nation talks on nuclear programme. In January, North Korea calls for an end to hostile relations with US and vows to strive for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
2010 –
February – The government reportedly eases restrictions on private markets after the currency revaluation of 2009 wiped out many cash savings.
Sinking of Cheonan
March – Sinking of South Korean warship Cheonan, allegedly by the North, raises tensions to new heights.
May – S. Korea suspends trade with N. Korea South Korea: South Korea is suspending trade with North Korea, closing its waters to the North’s ships and adopting a newly aggressive military posture
July – United States announces new sanctions on North Korea in response to sinking of Cheonan warship.
Jul.21 North Korea criticizes new US sanctions New US sanctions against North Korea will violate a UN statement issued after the sinking of a South Korean warship
September – As US President Obama signs new sanctions into law, the North makes overtures to the South, including an offer of more family reunions and acceptance of flood-damage aid.
Kim Jong-il’s youngest son Kim Jong-un is appointed to senior political and military posts, fuelling speculation that he is being prepared to succeed his father.
November – North Korea shows an eminent visiting American nuclear scientist a vast new secretly-built facility for enriching uranium at its Yongbyon complex. The revelation sparks alarm and anger in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.
Cross-border clash near disputed maritime border results in death of two South Korean marines. North Korea’s military insists it did not open fire first and blames South Korea for the incident.
2011 –
February – Foot and mouth disease hits livestock, threatening to aggravate desperate food shortages.
Succession
December – Kim Jong-il dies. Kim Jong-un presides at his funeral, is hailed as “Great Successor” and takes over from his father as chairman of the National Defence Commission.
2012 -
February – Kim Jong-il is posthumously awarded the highest military title of Generalissimo – the same rank held by his father, Kim Il-sung.
Army pledges loyalty to his successor, Kim Jong-un, in a mass parade held to mark the 70th anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s birth.
April – Kim Jong-un formally takes over ruling party leadership, becoming First Secretary of the Workers Party.
The launch of a “rocket-mounted satellite” to mark the birthday of Kim Il-Sung fails. Most observers think it was a long-range missile test of the sort that North Korea had agreed to suspend in return for US food aid. North Korea says it is no longer bound by the agreement, which also banned nuclear tests.
July – Army head Ri Yong-ho is removed from senior posts in the ruling party, and leader Kim Jong-un appoints himself to the highest rank of marshal.
August – The United Nations says North Korea has asked for urgent food aid after devastating floods in July.
October – Days after South Korea and the US unveil a new missile deal, North Korea says it has missiles that can hit the US mainland.
December – A North Korean rocket launch puts a satellite into orbit, after the failure to do so in April. The UN including China regard this as a violation of a ban on North Korean ballistic missile tests, as the rocket technology is the same.
Third nuclear test
2013 -
January – N Korea warns South on sanctions Map of Pyongyang North Korea Pyongyang pledged ‘physical counter-measures’ against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime
The UN Security Council condemns the December launch. North Korea announces it will carry out a third “high-level nuclear test” and rehearse more long-range rocket launches aimed at the US “arch-enemy”. The previous two tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009.
February – North Korea carries out a third nuclear test, said to be twice as big as the 2009 test.
Mar – U.N. passes new North Korea sanctions UN Security Council: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday for tougher sanctions against North Korea. China, North Korea’s key ally agreed to it
US expands North Korea sanctions Washington: The US has imposed sanctions on North Korea’s primary foreign exchange bank and 4 individuals, amid heightened tensions
UN Security Council approves fresh sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear test, targeting cash transfers and travel for diplomats. North Koreas threatened the US with a pre-emptive nuclear attack and issues threats to South Korea over nearby islands and non-aggression pacts..
Conclusion:
First off I would like to thank all the ignorant commenters on so many articles I have been reading for giving me the incentive to put this report together. The usual comments like the one responding to Russia’s warning against military activity near North Korea ‘what would Russia do if they were threatened’ and the usual ‘make a parking lot out of them’ and ‘make a crater out of Pyongyang’; first of all one has to understand who is threatening who!
I don’t want anyone for a moment to think I am a fan of the North Korean government because I’m not, or am I a fan of any other, but when looking at the history of Korea it makes me feel very low that there are those that cannot, and will not understand, this is cause and effect. Before Korea was split in two it was a nation of people with their own history, belief systems, language, way of life and culture, and because of a history of invasions and occupations by nations more powerful they tried in vain to exclude themselves from most of the world. Now Korea is a nation split in two by an outside force and being used for agendas and strategic military positioning. The annual US military exercise ‘Operation Foul Eagle’ instigates tensions and problems every year, as if our military occupation of the South of Korea for 63 years isn’t bad enough, also at the cost of billions of dollars annually to the US taxpayer. Some may believe the South is our ally but in reality they are the victims of the spoils of war, and their lives and culture have been defined by the victor of a war that wasn’t even theirs.
I wonder what we here in the US would do if our nation was split in two and under the same circumstances; with our lust for imperialism and hegemony over the world someday the tide may turn and we may find out; it may be sooner than some may think the way world events are being played out these days.
Seven Days in North Korea (Part 1 of 4)
NKorea says it is in a ‘state of war’ with SKorea
http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-says-state-war-skorea-014344604.html
Russia warns against military activity near North Korea
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-warns-against-military-activity-near-north-korea-095429925.html
In Moscow, new Chinese leader Xi warns against meddling
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against foreign interference in the affairs of other nations during a speech in Moscow on Saturday, sending a signal to the West and echoing a message often repeated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
http://news.yahoo.com/moscow-chinese-leader-xi-warns-against-meddling-001427804.html
