Korean War, Part 2?

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

Apparently an investigation into the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in March has concluded that North Korea had launched a torpedo into the ship. Of course North Korea denies the accusation, warning that any retaliation would trigger war.

Assuming the results of the investigation are accurate, how should South Korea respond? How WILL they respond? If all-out war finally breaks about again between the Koreas, how will it affect US/China relations? It seems unlikely that they will be drawn into the conflict, but I wouldn't bet money on either possibility.

It seems to me that without help from China, North Korea won't last very long against an all-out offensive by South Korea. Then again I'm by no means an expert. Of course as the article points out, this is hardly the first time that NK has done this sort of thing, and war hadn't broken out then either.

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

By the standard of international law the Korean War has never officially ended.

If war starts you can bet that the massive artillery destruction of Seoul will *really* trigger a global double-dip. North Korea has a massive army but shitty equipment. In this case all the land mines in the DMZ are going to be able to blunt the bludgeon at first.

Though in terms of what would happen once the USA and South Korea win.....no good options but a whole slew of bad to worse ones.

[torpidai.livejournal.com]

Though in terms of what would happen once the USA and South Korea win.....no good options but a whole slew of bad to worse

And no-one will ever compell the victor to tell the truth.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

That unfortunately applies to all wars.

In this particular case the war would create a massive refugee crisis, mass death and acceleration of the mass starvation in North Korea.....and the description above is a cheap clinical description. It minimizes that the human tragedy won't be limited to the obliteration of a city of 20 millions and one of the major financial centers of the present-day world, but a shitload of North Koreans are going to die, too.

This is with merely the bad option as opposed to the worst.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking you are basically correct, but in the aftermath, the survivors in NK would benefit by massive food drops. I may be jaded, but actually having gone hungry, I think there are few things worse than living that way one's whole life.