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Hypothetical new Korean war?

Thunder

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I always assumed that any new Korean war would be fought mostly with missiles and artilery.

Am I wrong about this? Would NK actually stage a land invasion with hundreds of thousands of troops and tanks?

what would America's involvement be?

and most importantly, would NK attack Japan and even Alaska with missiles?
 
Thunder said:
I always assumed that any new Korean war would be fought mostly with missiles and artilery.

Am I wrong about this? Would NK actually stage a land invasion with hundreds of thousands of troops and tanks?

what would America's involvement be?

and most importantly, would NK attack Japan and even Alaska with missiles?
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Missles and Artillery cannot occupy land. They just pave the way for the footsloggers. And the goal of any second Korean War for the North is the conquest of South Korea.

Well, considering that there are US troops on the DMZ as a "tripwire" any attack my North Korea means automatic US Involment.

You REALLY need to read up on Basic Military Strategy. I suggest James Dunnigan's "How To Make War" as a good introduction.
 
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Thunder said:
I always assumed that any new Korean war would be fought mostly with missiles and artilery.

Am I wrong about this? Would NK actually stage a land invasion with hundreds of thousands of troops and tanks?

what would America's involvement be?

and most importantly, would NK attack Japan and even Alaska with missiles?
Click to expand...

Alaska? They barely have the technology to mount a warhead on a short-range rocket, let alone an IBM.

What would the point of it be? If they want to ensure utter obliteration, then they should follow the above situation. It's worth remembering too that there are about a million landmines on the DMZ (As well as dreadful heavy metal music being pumped into the North by US marines), so I can't see how there would be any concievable land invasion (Unless there was a suicidal run on the South, banzai style).

I still refuse to believe they want war, although I'll admit their recent attack has me scratching my noggin in puzzlement. I've read that this may be the North's strategy to sink the mult-nation talks coming up, which they desperately want to avoid.
 
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BTW, this wouldn't be a new Korean war, just a continuation of the one in the 50's, which has never officially ended.
 
it is pointless to try to understand very irrational and illogical actions.....from a clearly irrational and illogical regime.

they might indeed be stupid and crazy enough to start a full war in the next coming weeks...leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

:(
 
Undesired Walrus said:
Alaska? They barely have the technology to mount a warhead on a short-range rocket, let alone an IBM.
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That's ICBM. :) The only IBM anyone has is its shareholders. :cool:
What would the point of it be? If they want to ensure utter obliteration, then they should follow the above situation. It's worth remembering too that there are about a million landmines on the DMZ (As well as dreadful heavy metal music being pumped into the North by US marines), so I can't see how there would be any concievable land invasion (Unless there was a suicidal run on the South, banzai style).
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If they do enough damage to the Seoul area, they may get a peace deal favorable to them. Probably not, but maybe.
I still refuse to believe they want war, although I'll admit their recent attack has me scratching my noggin in puzzlement. I've read that this may be the North's strategy to sink the mult-nation talks coming up, which they desperately want to avoid.
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That's one possible reason.

DR
 
has South Korea ever called NK's bluff...and NK turned away from big bag huffing and puffing?
 
Thunder said:
it is pointless to try to understand very irrational and illogical actions.....from a clearly irrational and illogical regime.

they might indeed be stupid and crazy enough to start a full war in the next coming weeks...leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

:(
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Yes yes Parky, you've told me this before! But I continue to state that I don't hold them to be irrational or illogical (Although their political ideology seems to repel the brain cells). Remember, Kim senior was perhaps the greatest propagandist of all time, and his son and his regime has been following this up fairly well. I don't think they are stupid people.

So it's not pointless. We must try and probe, and understand, even if the probing stick is flimsy and initially groping in the dark!
 
I do wonder about this, and more specifically about one of the other NBC "legs" (sorry, old Cold War revenant, don't hold with this new-fangled "WMD" handle), specifically biological weapons. We've focussed on NK's inept nuclear programme. What if they have an effective biological warfare programme that allows them to bombard Seoul with Bacillus Pestis or anthrax?

The other side of the coin is that NK has been planning, preparing and equipping to cope with a presumed gigantic land assault from SK combined with Uncle Sam. The South knows this (and US too, one hopes), so on the principle that one does not seek battle on your enemy's terms, what alternatives have they come up with?
 
Darth Rotor said:
That's ICBM. :) The only IBM anyone has is its shareholders. :cool:
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Yes, but imagine danger if they get their hands on IBM! The ability to create a computer chip that plays chants glorifying the Dear Leader's ability to transform sand into rice at a sub-human level!
 
Comsat Angel said:
The other side of the coin is that NK has been planning, preparing and equipping to cope with a presumed gigantic land assault from SK combined with Uncle Sam.
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Not to be understated. Public roads in NK are specifically designed to be wide enough to accomodate the landing of fighter jets.
 
The North Korean government scares me, because sanity seems to be in short supply. I think that is is possible that the goal of this latest feint is to draw concessions from the south Korean government in terms of loosening sanctions, etc. Or maybe the Beloved Leader is on the brink of death and they need a war to unite the people behind the new leader?

The trouble is that Seoul is close enough to the border for NK to deal a lot of civilian casualties and disrupt a lot of SK's economy with missiles. The SK government has actually started building a new political capital further south in part in response to this threat--but it's not anywhere near completely moved out of range. And there are still the lives and economic consequences to be thought of.

It would be highly irrational for North Korea to render chunks of Seoul, a city of great historic and emotional importance for Koreans, uninhabitable by using a nuke or 'dirty bomb' on it. But I sometimes fear that--like an enraged spouse in a divorce--North Korea's rulers would rather do something idiotic for themselves, as long as it hurts the other party. From this rather twisted perspective, a strike on Seoul "makes sense".

The truth is, even if they lob (non-nuclear) missiles into Seoul, the rest of the world is unlikely to perform a strike that will kill thousands of the wretched people of North Korea--who did not choose their government and are suffering greatly from its idiocies--so they might in fact get away with a relatively modest retaliation. And they know they have China's government and military backing them up, too, so the likelihood of them taking a big strike on Pyongyang is approximately zero.

I'm very concerned about this situation. So is Japan, who is conveniently in range and cannot by law take a first strike.
 
again, is there a precident for NK talking tough.....SK calling their bluff..and NK backing down from the brink?
 
dudalb said:
Missles and Artillery cannot occupy land. They just pave the way for the footsloggers. And the goal of any second Korean War for the North is the conquest of South Korea.

Well, considering that there are US troops on the DMZ as a "tripwire" any attack my North Korea means automatic US Involment.

You REALLY need to read up on Basic Military Strategy. I suggest James Dunnigan's "How To Make War" as a good introduction.
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It is possible that a conflict could break out that doesn't have any real military objectives in mind but just turns into a tit for tat conflict. I think the current situation will likely simmer down but if there is another incident, it could lead to retaliation which in turn could escalate to artillery fire and bombing raids. From there it could end with another cease fire or all hell could break loose. South Korea is in a tough spot, they certainly don't want a conflict to begin but they also want to stand their ground against the North. In other words, I could see a limited war breaking out even without any concrete military objective in mind other than responding to the other party's provocations.
 
lensman said:
iirc not exactly right, an ibm is (was?) an intermediate range ballistic missile.
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irbm

It didn't cap! Two edits it wouldn't. Trying again IRBM!

(must be something due to being right below the quote field? I'd test it but then I'd look even more lost lol)
 
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