North Korea Fires Artillery at Island in South; Seoul Scrambles Jets

[txradioguy]

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea fired artillery barrages onto a South Korean island near their disputed border Tuesday, setting buildings alight and prompting South Korea to return fire and scramble fighter jets. At least one South Korean marine was killed and 13 wounded, the military said.

The firing came amid South Korean military drills in the area. North Korea's military had sent a message to South Korea's armed forces early Tuesday to demand that the drills stop, but the South continued them, said an official at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

During the drills, South Korean marines on the island shot artillery toward southern waters, away from North Korea, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of military rules.

The skirmish also came amid high tension over North Korea's claim that it has a new uranium enrichment facility and just six weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il unveiled his youngest son Kim Jong Un as his heir apparent.

The artillery barrages struck the small South Korean-held island of Yeonpyeong, which houses military installations and a small civilian population in an area that has been the focus of two previous deadly battles between the Koreas.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11/23/skorea-nkorea-fires-artillery-island/

[Revolution]

I wonder if my Aunt know about this yet. She's in Virginia now, but she's a South Korean native. Figures that MSNBC.com is trying to report this as S. Korea fired first...according to Pyongyang. I don't buy that. N. Korea is going to put themselves in a world of hurt if they continue their erratic behavior.

[BlueStateSaint]

The headline on Drudge is (in this format):

IT BEGINS

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Dear Dog help us.

Barry will be headed to the golf course by 0830 to prove he's in charge.

[blitzkrieg_17]

Just heard this on 7am news.

[lars1701c]

I wonder when the Magic Negro will we get on the TV and say he is sorry to the North Koreans for not being nicer to them? 

[BlueStateSaint]

The South Korean President is now saying that if the North continues its attacks, the noKo missile base is a target.

Naturally, the Japanese are watching intently.

[Revolution]

From what I have read on FNC's mainsite, the white house has blatantly condemned the attack. CONDEMNED IT, I SAY!!

Jesus, any stiffer punishment, and they'd all be sent to Gitmo!

Bunch of spineless ooafs.

[BlueStateSaint]

From what I have read on FNC's mainsite, the white house has blatantly condemned the attack. CONDEMNED IT, I SAY!!

Jesus, any stiffer punishment, and they'd all be sent to Gitmo!

Bunch of spineless ooafs.

I'd be scrambling fast-attack boats out of Pearl as fast as I could.  Tomahawk-armed, all.

[Revolution]

Now S. Korea is vowing to retaliate if the North does anything like this again. Part of me thinks they will, but my other half is saying this was just a dong showing. ala "See how big our dick is?"

North Korea pulled a Brett Favre.

[Odin's Hand]

Another outburst from Little Kim. He probably let Junior give the salvo orders.

[Wretched Excess]

From what I have read on FNC's mainsite, the white house has blatantly condemned the attack. CONDEMNED IT, I SAY!!

Jesus, any stiffer punishment, and they'd all be sent to Gitmo!

Bunch of spineless ooafs.

 . . . and they are monitoring the situation.

weakness is provocative.

[cavegal]

   UNREAL.... I just woke up. What does the rest of the forum think is going to happen? Is the N just saber rattling?  With the WH under these traitors, you know China will get involved.  What say you all?

[txradioguy]

   UNREAL.... I just woke up. What does the rest of the forum think is going to happen? Is the N just saber rattling?  With the WH under these traitors, you know China will get involved.  What say you all?

I saw this administration will do just exactly what it's done so far when NoKo has killed South Korean citizens.

Nothing.

[Wretched Excess]

we did nothing about the nuke tests.  we did nothing about lobbing intermediate range ballistic missiles at japan.  we did nothing when they sank a south korean naval vessel.  we have done nothing to make them think that there is a penalty for this sort of outrage.

we will convene an emergency meeting of the security council, and pass some meaningless resolution or other. 

NK is gradually upping the ante.  I would imagine that at some point, an small incursion at the DMZ will happen.  we won't do anything about that, either.  and then a larger one.  and then a larger one.

[cavegal]

I know this WH is going to do nothing.

[Evil_Conservative]

This does not surprise me, nor does the lack of response from the WH. 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Strike two.  I think the next thing they pull, the ROKs are going to pull out the stops and spank them hard, probably without asking the Oministration if they mind first, since nothing productive seems to be coming of involving our political leaders in the situation.

[cavegal]

Rumor – Kim Jung Il Dead – Can Explain North Korean Attack

http://www.forexcrunch.com/rumor-kim-jung-il-died-can-explain-north-korean-attack/

Gerry Davies reports that there’s a rumor about the death of North Korean leader Kim Jung Il. This could explain why North Korea attacked South Korea with shells, killing a few people. Kim Jung Il’s heir, Kim Jong-un, might want to show that the North is still strong and that there’s a new guy in town by initiating this severe border clash.

This could also come on the background of a new uranium enrichment facility discovered in North Korea. The South Korean political elite is hiding in underground bunkers. The Korean central bank held an emergency meeting after the attack.

Note that this is only a rumor and that it hasn’t been confirmed. At the time of writing, the North Koreans haven’t commented on the incident, while all the world is talking about it, and there are already calls from Washington, Beijing and Moskow to defuse the situation. A full scale war is definitely unwanted, especially with North Korea’s nuclear arms.

[thundley4]

Yesterday Charles Krauthammer suggested giving SoKo nukes. Did he know something?  http://www.therightscoop.com/krauthammer-its-time-to-arm-s-korea-with-nukes

[Eupher]

Strike two.  I think the next thing they pull, the ROKs are going to pull out the stops and spank them hard, probably without asking the Oministration if they mind first, since nothing productive seems to be coming of involving our political leaders in the situation.

Israel wouldn't mind following that sort of lead, either.

[cavegal]

W.H. seeks China�s backing on Korea

China shares the White House’s view that North Korea’s attack on a South Korean island is “very undesirable,” Stephen Bosworth, the special envoy to North Korea, said Tuesday.

Bosworth met with Chinese officials at the foreign ministry on Tuesday and “expressed to them the desire that restraint be exercised on all sides, and I think we agree on that,” he told reporters in Beijing. “We both share the view that such conflict is very undesirable.”

Bosworth said he has no plans “at this point” to go to North Kor

What a bunch of 

[Ptarmigan]

Those North Koreans are nuts. They are asking for trouble. 

[Wretched Excess]

I say this every time the north koreans do something stupid, or the chinese or russians do something to threaten the best interests of our national security;  we should advocate the full-blown militarization japan, nukes and everything.  and we should offer to pay for it.

it doesn't have to happen, and the japanese themselves don't even really have to be in favor of it.  just talking about it would give the russians and chinese something to think about the next time they want to frustrate our national security interests.  and they would give the north koreans up like the drunkest dude at a frat party bust.

[true_blood]

Another outburst from Little Kim. He probably let Junior give the salvo orders.

Yes. I think it's a sort of "passing the torch" gift from daddy nut job to son nut job.
I'm with the others about theirs being strike 2. North Korea is playing with fire.