North Korea Warns Foreigners To Leave South Korea In Latest 'Thermonuclear War' Threat

North Korea Warns Foreigners To Leave South Amid New Threats Of War -- Reuters

(Reuters) - North Korea intensified threats of an imminent conflict against the United States and the South on Tuesday, warning foreigners to evacuate South Korea to avoid being dragged into "thermonuclear war".

The North's latest message belied an atmosphere free of anxiety in the South Korean capital, where the city center was bustling with traffic and offices operated normally.

Pyongyang has shown no sign of preparing its 1.2 million-strong army for war, indicating the threat could be aimed partly at bolstering Kim Jong-un, 30, the third in his family to lead the country.

The North, which threatens the United States and its "puppet", South Korea, on a daily basis, is marking anniversaries this week that could be accompanied by strong statements or military displays.

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More News On New North Korean Threats

NKorea urges foreigners to vacate South Korea -- AP
Evacuate, North Korea urges foreigners in latest 'thermo-nuclear war' threat -- The Telegraph
North Korea: Foreigners should evacuate South Korea -- BBC
Evacuate, North Korea urges foreigners in new threat -- The Telegraph
North Korea Warns Foreigners in South of Nuclear War -- New York Times
Nuclear war on the Korean peninsula? North Korea warns foreigners to leave. -- Christian Science Monitor
SKorean Security Official: NKorea’s Warning To Diplomats May Be Setting Stage For Missile Test -- Washington Post/AP
N Korea's evacuation warning 'is rhetoric' -- The Telegraph

What Is The Damage That The North Korean Military Can Inflict In The Event Of A Shooting War

North Korea Could Inflict Significant Damage In Attack -- USA Today

WASHINGTON – North Korea's massive but poorly trained and equipped military could cause significant damage in the early stages of an attack on its southern neighbor.

But any attack would ultimately be repulsed by superior U.S. and South Korean forces, military analysts say.

It's unclear how serious North Korea is on following through on its threats, but North Korea has increased its bellicose rhetoric recently, renewing worries that its unpredictable leader, Kim Jong Un, could take actions that might trigger a wider conflict.

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My Comment: I have mentioned more than once in the past that in the event of war, U.S. fatalities on the Korean Peninsula will quickly dwarf all U.S. fatalities in the past 10 years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. As to what the impact of war will be on the Korean peninsula .... South Korean civilian casualties will be in the tens of thousands, North Korean military casualties will reach horrendous levels from U.S. precision airstrikes, and the cost to the South Korean economy will be in the trillions. On a geopolitical level .... this will be the number one issue on the world stage for 2013 .... bar none.

List Of North Korea's Threats And Declarations For The Past Month

Kim Jong Un inspects the second battalion under the Korean People's Army Unit 1973, honored with the title of "O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment", on March 23, 2013, in this picture released on March 24, 2013. (Reuters/KCNA)

A Running List Of North Korea's Near-Daily Threats (Updated) -- Passport/Foreign Policy

If you're having a hard time keeping track of the multitude of threats issued by North Korea in the last few weeks, you're not alone: Kim Jong Un's young regime is on a seemingly endless tear of warnings and provocations. From threats of a nuclear holocaust to artillery strikes near disputed borders, here are the latest shots across the bow from the Hermit Kingdom, beginning with those that followed international sanctions over Pyongyang's third nuclear test in February:

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Update: North Korea: timeline of escalating threats -- The Telegraph

My Comment: Is this all planned .... or just being down on an ad-hoc basis .... no one knows. But I do agree with what Russia's foreign minister said yesterday .... this is all spiraling out of control.

North Korea's Official Declaration Of ‘War’

Here’s North Korea’s Official Declaration Of ‘War’ -- Washington Post

A few notes about this document just released by North Korean state media.

First, North and South Korea have technically been at a state of war since the Korean War began six decades ago. So, while this “declaration of war” certainly sounds scary, the rhetoric alone does not change anything substantial.

Second, North Korea does not appear to have taken many concrete steps toward actual war. There have been no reports, for example, of the country massing its troops along the border. War is a big, complicated logistical undertaking, especially when you’re a particularly poor country trying to shuffle 1.1. million troops into place. They’re not exactly a lightening-response force.

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Update: North Korea's 'state of war' declaration: full text -- The Telegraph

My Comment: Over the years I have read many of North Korea's government statements .... but I have never read anything like this. We are now in uncharted waters.

North Korea: State Of War With South Korea

North Korea Says It’s In ‘State Of War’ With South Korea -- Bloomberg Businessweek

North Korea said it’s in a “state of war” with South Korea, escalating threats against the neighboring nation a day after putting its forces on standby to strike South Korean and U.S. targets.

“Every issue raised between the North and South will be dealt with in a wartime manner,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency said today, citing what it called a special statement. U.S. stealth bomber flights over South Korea this week are “unacceptable” and North Korea’s statement is a “final warning” to the U.S. and its allies, KCNA said.

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More News On north Korea's Statement That They Are In A 'State Of War' With South Korea

North Korea says it is entering 'state of war' with South -- NBC
North Korea says enters "state of war" against South -- Reuters
North Korea enters 'state of war' with South -- BBC
North Korea: 'state of war' against South Korea -- The Telegraph
The Korean Peninsula’s ‘State of War’ -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea warns South Korea of ‘state of war,’ threatens to close joint factory park -- Washington Post/AP
North Korea’s war threats are unacceptable, says Seoul -- Euronews
South Korea Warns North of Punishment Should War Declaration Go Beyond Words -- Voice of America
US warns North Korea of increased isolation if threats escalate further -- The Guardian
North Korea's Kim is making U.S. officials nervous -- L.A. Times
"North Korea is not going to war," senior U.S. official says -- CBS News
Aggressive talk from North Korea concerns U.S. leaders -- Washington Post

Citing The Threat Of War, North Korea Cuts It's Military Hotline With The South

North Korea Cuts Key Military Hotline with South -- Voice of America

SEOUL — North Korea says it is cutting a key military hotline with the South. It is the latest setback on the peninsula, amid an escalating war of words between the two Koreas.

South Korea's Unification Ministry confirms the North Koreans are no longer answering the military hotline at the Kaesong industrial complex, just north of the Demilitarized Zone.

North Korea says heightened tensions on the peninsula amid joint U.S.-South Korean military drills this month justifies severing the link.

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More News On North Korea Cutting It's Military Hotline With The South

North Korea Shuts Last Military Hot Line to South -- New York Times
North Korea Cuts Last Military Hot Line to South -- Wall Street Journal
N. Korea cutting of military hotline 'provocative': US -- Global Post/AFP
North Korea cuts military hotline with South -- BBC
North Korea cuts off military hotline with South -- The Guardian
N. Korea Cuts Hotline to South After Attack Threats -- Bloomberg Businessweek
North Korea says it has cut last military hotline -- Bloomberg Businessweek/AP
North Korea to cut all channels with South -- Reuters

South Korea Is Now Talking About A Pre-Emptive Strike On North Korea's Nukes

South Korea Talks Of A Pre-Emptive Strike On North Korea's Nukes -- Business Insider

The tension is rising in Asia, with worrying signs that conflict could break out at any point.

In the Koreas, fallout over a prospective North Korean nuclear test has South Korean troops on the border receiving orders to return fire immediately against DPRK forces.

In South Korean press, there's worrying, though non-conclusive, talk of a "pre-emptive" strike.

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Update: South Korea in 'first strike' alert over tests -- John Garnaut, Sydney Morning Herald

My Comment: Harsh rhetoric from South Korea .... and they are now backing it with changes in their border rules of engagement. I am also of the opinion that this "rhetoric" is actually being directed at China as a message that they must get their ally into line .... to use their influence to persuade North Korea from not conducting a nuclear test. And while I do know that the Chinese are watching and listening everything, I am not sure if they have that type of influence over the 'hermit kingdom'.

As to what is my take on what is going to happen next .... I honestly do not know. The men who ruled North Korea with Kim Jung-Un's father were predictable .... but since the death of Kim Jong-il these men have been kicked out of power. North Korea's new ruler is putting his own unique stamp on the country .... and it is making everyone nervous.

North Korea Is An ‘Existential Threat’ To the South

U.S. President Barack Obama visits U.S. military personnel stationed at Observation Post Ouellette along the Demilitarized Zone which borders North and South Korea, outside Seoul. REUTERS/Larry Downing

South Korean Official Warns Of ‘Existential Threat’ From North -- New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — A senior South Korean policy maker on North Korea said on Friday that it must be assumed that the North has the capacity to mount a nuclear device on a ballistic missile, adding that such a capability would pose “an existential threat” to South Korea.

The official, who spoke to a group of journalists on condition of anonymity, stressed that reliable information about the North’s capabilities is scarce, and he cautioned that he was not confirming that the North had built an operational nuclear weapon. But his comment, which was one of the most explicitly worded assessments of the North’s nuclear and missile capabilities by a senior official, reflected growing concern in the South Korean government that the North may have more advanced technology than previously believed.

“We must assume that North Korea has already reached the stage” of “being able to mount a nuclear device on its ballistic missiles,” the official said. “If not, they are getting closer to that level.”

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My Comment: The North Korean government has always been an existential threat to the South .... I hope the South is not figuring that out right now.

North Korea Warns Of Nuclear War

Rockets are carried by military vehicles during a military parade to celebrate the centenary of the birth of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012, in this picture released by the North's KCNA news agency. REUTERS/KCNA

North And South Korea 'On The Verge Of Nuclear War' -- The Telegraph

A senior North Korean diplomat warned a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York that "a spark of fire could set off a thermonuclear war" on the Korean Peninsula.

Pak Kil-yon, Pyongyang's vice-foreign minster, put the blame for the tense state of inter-Korean relations firmly on South Korea's conservative government and claimed the citizens of the North feel "shame" and "political terror."

Monday's speech was the first time a representative of North Korea has addressed the General Assembly since Kim Jong-un assumed power after the death of his father in December last year.

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More News On North Korean Nuclear Threats

Korea peninsula could face "thermonuclear war," North tells U.N. -- Reuters
North Korea says a spark could set off nuclear war on Korean peninsula -- FOX News/AP
North Korea Says Hostile U.S. Policy Could Spark a Nuclear War -- Bloomberg Businessweek
N. Korea accuses US of attempting to spark war -- RT
North Korea warns of nuclear war -- Press Association
At U.N. speech, N. Korean diplomat threatens nuke war on peninsula -- Yonhap News Agency
North Korea warns of nuclear war -- Belfast Telegraph

South Korea Fire Warning Shots At North Korean Fishing Boats

South Korea Fires On North Korean Fishing Boats -- CNN

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The South Korean Navy fired warning shots to ward off North Korean fishing boats that were spotted south of the maritime border between the two countries, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday.

The North Korean vessels crossed back over the border, known as the Northern Limit Line, following the warning shots, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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More News On South Korea Firing On north Korean Fishing Boats

South Korea navy 'fires at North Korea fishing boats -- BBC
South Korea fires warning shots at North Korean fishing boats -- The Guardian
South Korea Fires Warning Shots at Fishing Boats From North -- New York Times
S. Korea fires warning shots at North fishing boat -- AFP
S Korea fires warning shots at North's boats -- Al Jazeera
South Korea fires warning shots at North Korean fishing boats in disputed waters -- FOX News/AP

S.Korea Fires Warning Shots at N.Korean Fishing Boats -- Voice of America

My Comment: To save face, North Korea will respond .... but what that response will be is anyone's guess. In addition .... it would not surprise me if South Korean forces are now on high alert.

South Korea's President Does Not Believe That The North Will Undertake Significant Reform

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Photo: REUTERS

Kim Jong-un Unlikely To Undertake Significant Reform, Says South Korean President -- The Telegraph

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has warned that Kim Jong-un, North Korea's new leader, is likely to fail to undertake significant reforms given the strong position of hardliners in the regime.

Mr Lee told the Daily Telegraph that the outlook of the North Korea's Kim was an enigma to him, but that he was convinced a debate was underway among his cohort over reforming the pariah regime.

"I am sure there is a lot of debate and argument going back and forth within the North Korean leadership," Mr Lee said.

Although the third-generation Kim was partly educated in Switzerland, granting him a more modern, internationalist outlook than his hermit-like father Kim Jong-il, the South Korean president indicated he may not be able to convince the Pyongyang elite of the need for change.

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My Comment: The South Korean President is right.

Fears Of North Korean Provocation Voiced By Top U.S. Commander

SOUTH KOREAN MINISTER - U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin in Seoul, South Korean, July 14, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Mullen: North Korea Remains A Danger -- CNN

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The threat from North Korea -- which started a war with South Korea in 1950 and launched two attacks against the South last year -- is very real and they could well attack again. That's the candid view of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.

"North Korea shows no sign of relenting in pursuit of its capabilities and I'm not convinced they won't provoke again," he told reporters. "I've said for a long time the only thing that is predictable about North Korea is their unpredictability."

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More News On Adm. Mullen Voicing His Concerns On North Korea

Top US military officer warns of NKorean threat -- Seattle PI/AP
N. Korea May Provoke Again, Creates ‘Urgency,’ Mullen Says -- Bloomberg
Mullen says N. Korea poses ''very real'' threat -- Yahoo News/AFP
At Yongsan, Mullen stresses importance of keeping close eye on N. Korea, China -- Stars and Stripes
Mullen Warns South Korea of Continued Threat from North -- Voice of America
Mullen: North Korea Poses "Very Real" Threat -- Defense News/AFP
Mullen says N. Korea poses ''very real'' threat -- AFP
North Korea must be stopped from more attacks: Admiral Mullen -- FOX News/Reuters
Mullen Seeks Multilateral Deterrence Against North Korea -- US Department of Defense
No Hints North Korea Open to Denuclearization: Mullen -- Global Security Newswire
Commander named for U.S. Forces Korea -- UPI
Sharp bids farewell, Thurman assumes command in Korea -- Army.mil

So Much For Talking. North Korea Threatens To Cut Hotline To The South

North Korea has said it will never deal with the current South Korean government (AFP/File, Jung Yeon-Je)

North Korea Threatens to Close Hotline With South -- New York Times

SEOUL — With relations between North and South Korea still tense and limited, the North threatened Monday to abandon a military hot line with the South and close a jointly operated office where officials from both Koreas interact.

The North also said it would never again deal with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, calling him a “traitor,” although the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, said only last month that he was willing to participate in a summit meeting with Mr. Lee.

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More News On The Tensions Between North And South Korea

NKorea threatens to cut off hotline with SKorea -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Kim Jong-il Severs Communication with S.Korea -- Chosun Ilbo
North Korea pledges not to talk with South -- Korea Times
N. Korea won't deal with S. Korea govt: statement -- AFP
South Korea regrets the North cutting ties -- CNN

My Comment: While this severing of ties is a disappointment .... it should not be a surprised. What is a surprise is a secret visit by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to South Korea .... not surprising .... no one wants to talk about it.

North And South Korea Developing Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons

Photo: The Korea Internet Security Center run by the Korea Internet and Security Agency monitors cyber attacks and hacking incidents targeting domestic websites around the clock. Chosun Ilbo

North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb -- ABC News

N. Korea Disrupts Current Military Maneuvers With Russian Device To Jam GPS

North Korea appears to be protesting the joint U.S. and South Korean military maneuvers by jamming Global Positioning Devices in the south, which is a nuisance for cell phone and computers users -- but is a hint of the looming menace for the military.

Since March 4, Pyongyang has been trying to disrupt GPS receivers critical to South Korean military communications apparently in protest of the ongoing joint military training exercises between South Korean and U.S. forces. Strong jamming signals were sent intermittently every five to 10 minutes.

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More News On North And South Korea Developing Weapon Systems To Disrupt Each Others Electronics/Computer Networks

Seoul 'Develops Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb' -- Chosun Ilbo
We can, and will, use EMP bomb, says South Korea -- News.com.au
North Korea Jams GPS in War Game Retaliation -- The Danger Room
Confirmed: North cause of GPS hit -- Joong Ang Daily
S. Korean Defense Chief Says GPS Jamming Signals Originated From N. Korea's Mt. Geumgang -- Arirang
N.Korea Blamed for Last Week's Cyber Attack -- Chosun Ilbo
How N.Korean Hackers Could Inflict Maximum Damage -- Chosun Ilbo
Bracing for electronic warfare -- Joong Ang Daily
SKorea to get more weapons amid NKorean threat -- Washington Post/AP