A review of North Korea's weaponry and war threats may help to ease some twitchy nerves. Many feel that North Korea can cause plenty of trouble while others scoff at the nation's ability to carry out any significant threats. According to an April 4 CNN news article, there are currently no special military movements across the Demilitarized Zone. South Korea's defense minister does not see any signs that North Korea is preparing for a full-scale conflict, according to an April 4 ROL (Jakarta) article. This leaves the world to worry about threats of a nuclear missile attack on South Korea and threats to nearby nations.
North Korea's weapons capability may be better or worse than we know.
North Korea’s latest weaponry threat is to use "smaller, lighter and diversified" nuclear weapons capability. North Korea has not shown the ability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead that could work with a long-range missile. North Korea has short-to-medium range missiles that threaten the Korean Peninsula and possibly Japan, but no one has seen evidence of long-range missiles that can reach the US mainland, Guam or Hawaii.
No one is discussing biological or chemical weapons capability, however. Such capability would change the equation drastically, no matter how limited a reach North Korean missiles have.
The two most likely missile threats are the KN-08 and the Musudan. The KN-08 is a long-range missile that could hit the United States, but only if North Korea could pull off a successful launch. The Musudan missile is based on a Soviet system and has a range of about 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles). If successfully launched, a Musudan could reach Japan, but not Guam.
Global Security.org has an inventory of North Korea's missile capability. The Taep'o-Dong missile series are the most threatening systems in development. They have the longest ranges of 2,000 to 12,000 km. The Taep'o-dong-3 has a 12,000 km range, but that missile will not be ready until 2015.
The world's most powerful nations and alliances are unhappy with the latest rising tensions.
Russia has condemned North Korea's behavior. An April 4 Zee News (India) article quoted Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich. He said, "For Russia, Pyongyang's neglect of UN resolutions (on nuclear non-proliferation) is categorically unacceptable."
On April 4, NDTV (India) reported a statement by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, who said, "I am deeply concerned and troubled by the rising tension on the Korean peninsula caused by the very negative inflammatory rhetoric coming from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
The U.S. State Department summarized U.S. Policy toward North Korea.
"Pyongyang continues to violate its international obligations and commitments, including to denuclearize. Its human rights record remains deplorable. Its economy is stagnant. Its people are impoverished. It pours significant sums into nuclear and ballistic missile programs that are forbidden by the United Nations. The leadership’s choices are isolating North Korea from the international community. International outrage against North Korea and its provocative and threatening actions, meanwhile, continues to grow."
A summary of escalating tensions and fast moving events.
North Korea has already approved going to war and has declared a state of war readiness. All existing treaties with South Korea are nullified. South Koreans cannot cross the border into the Kaosang Industrial Complex, which houses over a hundred profitable businesses. This complex was the last area of cooperation between north and south and is a major source of income for North Korea.
North Korea threatens to reactivate a nuclear power facility that was inoperative for five years. North Korea shut the facility down as part of a deal with the United States, China and four other nations.
According to a 4 April MSN News report, North Korea has cleared the military to attack the United States using "smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear" weapons. The latest statement from the military said,
"We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means," an unidentified spokesman from the General Bureau of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by state media, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The U.S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."
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