What *IF* N.Korea used their nuclear capabilities?

[forever_driving]

After reading the feelings of Dresden and carrying on from the other PH topic about N.Korea:

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=155281&f=141&h=0

If there was a hypothetical situation where a nuclear missile was launched from N.Korea and it hit an island of Japan. What do you think the world's response would be?

1) Would the West send in their own warheads to wipe out North Korea? Would the world stand by while missiles were launched to wipe out plenty of innoccent people? An eye for an eye?

2) Would we take a more peaceful diplomatic stance? Would the world stand by while we went all 'touchyfeely' with a country that just committed mass murder?

3) Or would an Iraq-style ground invasion take place? Would the world stand by while many of our own troops were killed?

What do the PHers think would happen in a situation like this? What would you want to the world to do?

I'm pretty sure this'll never happen (unless N.Korea are provoked) and I damn well hope it doesn't happen because not only do I like Japan and the Japanese people... I'll be living there very soon

>>> Edited by forever_driving on Monday 14th February 11:53

[Dakkon]

N.Korea don't want to be pushed around by America, whether they have nukes for real you will never really know, but the fact that they might is the whole point. (From their point of view)

[granville]

Dubya would turn to his left and utter these words, as uttered by a much lamented predecessor:

"We're going in, Larry!"

At which point there would be much boiling of eggs.

[Ahonen]

Don't think a ground invasion would be likely - North Korea's army numbers 1 million soldiers, allegedly. Even if they're ill-equipped that's still an awful lot of people with guns...

[love machine]

There would be a massive US lead nuclear strike turning most of N Korea into a wasteland. If they did use them again, it would be massive, I'm convinced.

It won't happen as they probably know this.

[tinman0]

forever_driving said:

1) Would the West send in their own warheads to wipe out North Korea? Would the world stand by while missiles were launched to wipe out plenty of innoccent people? An eye for an eye?

i think NK would cease to exist a few minutes after the first missile landed. and for some reason - i think it'd be chinese warheads that does the deed.

[Wacky Racer]

What would happen if just one of the "smart" US missiles decided to "veer" a few miles off course into China????........

Goodbye World.

[Targarama]

The bullys would not invade N Korea. They only pick on small people who can hardly fight back. Even then they end up in a mess (Vietnam, Iraq). Bullys always need someone with real brains to manipulate them (Iraqs neighbours maybe?).

Hopefully neither side will get to the point where they push the big red button. Mostly muscle flexing in the gym stuff. I hope.

[b17nns]

"Northern Korea has been destroyed."

"Now watch this drive."

[mannginger]

Targarama said:

The bullys would not invade N Korea. They only pick on small people who can hardly fight back. Even then they end up in a mess (Vietnam, Iraq). Bullys always need someone with real brains to manipulate them (Iraqs neighbours maybe?). Hopefully neither side will get to the point where they push the big red button. Mostly muscle flexing in the gym stuff. I hope.

What like Germany and Russia?

Short memory you have there!

As for NK - I suspect that yes - a very large retaliatory strike on the major bases and population centres, including turning the massive bases around the DMZ into so much soup - and then apologising to SK for their losses.

China's reaction will be interesting, it would depend on how much "notice" they may have been given first (from either side!)

Then the US will be called a mass murderer by everyone who would forget that NK had kicked it off first!

Phil

[DanL]

It's pretty clear that you can't have a rogue nuclear power around who not only has them, but has shown they'll use them unprovoked. It'd be like having a rabid dog around.

So - should NK launch an attack, I doubt (without the threat of mutually assured destruction to protect them) that the country would last long.

Quite how it'd be resolved, I've no idea - I wouldn't think a ground war would happen, so I'd guess either cruise missiles or a limited nuclear strike to remove the leadership.

Mind you, I've no idea what I'm talking about!

Dan

[mybrainhurts]

At least, I wouldn't have to fix the bloody roof....

[danhay]

The only reasonable* response to North Korea launching a nuclear attack would be massive retaliation. Otherwise the whole basis of nuclear weapons as a deterrant would be seriously undermined.




*I mean reasonable in the loosest sense of the word.

[towman]

Speed reading the thread titles, I got this as "What if Nokia used their nuclear capabilities?". Bloody hell, that`s some phone!

>> Edited by towman on Monday 14th February 19:49

[-DeaDLocK-]

There's a theory that apart from safeguarding their own interests of natural resources and money, they are slowly branching out into various select corners of the world to gain a strong political foothold around the entire Asian region as a geographical strategy.

First Afghanistan, then Iraq, next North Korea. All key locations within the Asian continent, all with proximity to abundant natural resources and all with a political regime that they declare as draconian (of course not bother with Sudan, Iran etc.).

NK next? Very possibly - it all fits.

[Leadfoot]

I think you're all missing the economic point here.
NK has 2 of asia's main economies (SK & Japan*) within balistic missile range, Seoul is also within artillary range.
Any kind of shooting match would have devastating repercussions for the whole world economy. China & Russia are fully aware of this, so should the lunatics that run the North try a bit of adventurism, retribution would likely be swift & from all sides.

*Back in the late 90's (maybe '95 - I was living in Taiwan at the time & I'm sure I remember it causing a bit of a stir) the NK's fired a Scud derivative into the Sea of Japan to conduct a "test".

[groucho]

mybrainhurts said:

At least, I wouldn't have to fix the bloody roof....

Not roof problems, what's the matter with it?

Sorry, thread hijack.



>> Edited by groucho on Monday 14th February 19:17

[alexkp]

If the US and allies went for ground assault the North Koreans wouldn't last very long.

In the first Gulf War, when the ground assault started, the US Motorised Cavalry destroyed about 250 Iraqi tanks in a little over three hours for the loss of not one single US tank.

Numbers are absolutely no match for modern weaponry anymore.

[cymtriks]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

But Iraq is fairly flat and devoid of cover where this happened. American tanks have better range and their satelites can tell them where their enemy is.

Put the tanks and soldiers in a jungle full of deep valleys or in an urban setting and it evens out a lot.

Also the region around NK is unstable. There are a lot of traditional hatreds under the surface. No one could be certain which side a country would be on. Take China for example, would they stay out of it, join the US side, or go in on the NK side like last time?

[wolves_wanderer]

IIRC Japan is a proto-nuclear power, meaning they have the expertise and materials (acquired through peaceful methods) to build nuclear weapons. I suspect that were NK to attack Japan they would undertake a massive retaliation without any other nation getting involved. A reasonable response I think, although reasonable is, in this instance, a is perhaps not the ideal word to use.