North Korea

[Strokes]

You know the world is fùcked when the voice of reason is Vladimir Putin.

[ozleicester]

If this is your biggest concern right now, your life is pretty damn good

[Guest]

56 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Interesting stuff.

 

It doesn't surprise me that they have deniable fingers in many pies (moody banknotes, drugs etc) around the world under different guises, otherwise their internal economy would be even worse than it is now.

Yeah what makes it more interesting is the US/UK and any other country putting sanctions on NK is doing nothing except hurting the residents of NK. The leadership are tied up in Room 39 and making 100's of millions. It's basically a media facade and the whole world believes it.

[leicsmac]

Just now, Soundman said:

Yeah what makes it more interesting is the US/UK and any other country putting sanctions on NK is doing nothing except hurting the residents of NK. The leadership are tied up in Room 39 and making 100's of millions. It's basically a media facade and the whole world believes it.

Well yeah, you only have to look at the difference between the haves and have nots there to get an idea that there's various revenue streams coming in that are not legit. So you're right - mostly sanctions aren't going to hurt those who really matter as they're too good at hiding their money.

[Strokes]

5 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Well yeah, you only have to look at the difference between the haves and have nots there to get an idea that there's various revenue streams coming in that are not legit. So you're right - mostly sanctions aren't going to hurt those who really matter as they're too good at hiding their money.

They are sat on millions of tonnes of precious metals and raw materials, you will never stop them being able to shift it and make money. It's pointless.

[leicsmac]

Just now, Strokes said:

They are sat on millions of tonnes of precious metals and raw materials, you will never stop them being able to shift it and make money. It's pointless.

Yep. There will always be a way, especially if the border with China is porous to "special shipments" (which it most likely is).

 

The good thing about that though is should reunification ever happen to have that there might help with the serious economic stress it would entail.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Well yeah, you only have to look at the difference between the haves and have nots there to get an idea that there's various revenue streams coming in that are not legit. So you're right - mostly sanctions aren't going to hurt those who really matter as they're too good at hiding their money.

I hate to think how much they do have, most of it goes of palaces, luxury items and arms....Apparently Putin is the richest man in the world because he has been squirrelling billions of Russian money since he came to power. I imagine the Kim family have been doing the same and they have been in power since the 50's  

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, Soundman said:

I hate to think how much they do have, most of it goes of palaces, luxury items and arms....Apparently Putin is the richest man in the world because he has been squirrelling billions of Russian money since he came to power. I imagine the Kim family have been doing the same and they have been in power since the 50's  

It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Also, you can expect the money paid to bring in experts to accelerate their nuclear and ballistics tech will come from that kind of stream too.

 

TBH this is one of the key reasons why I think they won't step over the line - the leadership has got a seriously good thing going here, so why on Earth would they throw that away for...reasons?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, leicsmac said:

Yep. There will always be a way, especially if the border with China is porous to "special shipments" (which it most likely is).

 

The good thing about that though is should reunification ever happen to have that there might help with the serious economic stress it would entail.

I personally don't see the point in any of it. The only real credible threats to the west are Russia and China, NK can have their dodgy nuclear weapons, it's highly unlikely they will do anything with them and if they do, they are on the world stage so everyone knows about it the moment they do

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Also, you can expect the money paid to bring in experts to accelerate their nuclear and ballistics tech will come from that kind of stream too.

 

TBH this is one of the key reasons why I think they won't step over the line - the leadership has got a seriously good thing going here, so why on Earth would they throw that away for...reasons?

There is no reason. I think they are highly provoked by the US. It's not against the law to test your own weapons, the US, UK and most other countries do it all the time

[Stadt]

Geographically NK is probably in just about the worst place it could be, obviously I wouldn't fancy having them across the channel but being situated between Russia, China and two major US allies is just really inconvenient.

 

 

Edited 5 September 2017 by Wookie

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Soundman said:

I personally don't see the point in any of it. The only real credible threats to the west are Russia and China, NK can have their dodgy nuclear weapons, it's highly unlikely they will do anything with them and if they do, they are on the world stage so everyone knows about it the moment they do

Yeah. Again, the principle of MAD holds here as it always has.

 

3 minutes ago, Soundman said:

There is no reason. I think they are highly provoked by the US. It's not against the law to test your own weapons, the US, UK and most other countries do it all the time

Wouldn't entirely agree with that - there is a test ban in place on nuclear weapons after all and the rhetoric they use is stupid - but yeah, the whole thing is, as had been stated here before, just a dick size contest.

 

1 minute ago, Wookie said:

Geographically NK is probably in just about the worst place it could be, obviously I wouldn't fancy having them across the channel but being situated between Russia, China and two major US allies is just really inconvenient.

 

 

This of course being one of the reasons the US and Soviets carved Korea in two (without the wholesale consent of its people) in the first place. Both of them wanted spheres of influence in a strategically crucial spot in the world. 

 

All a bit sad, really.

[Izzy]

1 hour ago, ozleicester said:

If this is your biggest concern right now, your life is pretty damn good

I only started to get concerned when I heard that NK now has a missile that can hit New York City.

 

It got me thinking, "If it can make it there, it can make it anywhere" 

[yorkie1999]

1 hour ago, Soundman said:

I personally don't see the point in any of it. The only real credible threats to the west are Russia and China, NK can have their dodgy nuclear weapons, it's highly unlikely they will do anything with them and if they do, they are on the world stage so everyone knows about it the moment they do

They don't want to start firing nuclear missiles around the globe, they want a seat at the nuclear table, same as the one we're on.

[Lionator]

This conflict is only as scary as the media want it to be. It seems worse now as more attention is being paid to it and the media are throwing around claims of ww3 which only fuels anxiety. Obviously their government are abhorrent and part of the fear is because of the unknowns however you have to remember that the US and South Korea (understandably in their case) are constantly poking them with a stick with military drills on their doorstep, could you imagine another world power conducting military exercises in central america on the US doorstep. We've been in more perilous situations such as in 2010 and it soon calmed down. As Putin said, diplomacy is pretty much the only way that this is going to be resolved and Xi knows that and even Trump, or at least Mattis, knows that I believe. If North Korea do anything stupid then they have no leg to stand on and action would have to be taken but it's all games and brinksmanship for now. It's really not worth worrying about.

[Mike Oxlong]

[Countryfox]

44 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

 

Modern day chuckle brothers ...  

[m4DD0gg]

3 hours ago, Mike Oxlong said:

Two of the most bizarre hair cuts on the planet.

[Guest MattP]

Trump response appears to be going down well with North Korean exiles. (Done more in a few months than Obama did in eight years)

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/north-korean-fugitives-living-in-the-uk-back-donald-trump-s-fire-and-fury-rhetoric-against-despotic-a3627556.html

[Nick]

5 minutes ago, MattP said:

Trump response appears to be going down well with North Korean exiles. (Done more in a few months than Obama did in eight years)

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/north-korean-fugitives-living-in-the-uk-back-donald-trump-s-fire-and-fury-rhetoric-against-despotic-a3627556.html

Did you read the whole article or just the headline?

[leicsmac]

48 minutes ago, MattP said:

Trump response appears to be going down well with North Korean exiles. (Done more in a few months than Obama did in eight years)

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/north-korean-fugitives-living-in-the-uk-back-donald-trump-s-fire-and-fury-rhetoric-against-despotic-a3627556.html

Gyopos and NK exiles are always going to want "Fire and Fury", mainly because most of them live a good few thousand miles away from where any such fire and fury would occur.

[Guest]

53 minutes ago, MattP said:

Trump response appears to be going down well with North Korean exiles. (Done more in a few months than Obama did in eight years)

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/north-korean-fugitives-living-in-the-uk-back-donald-trump-s-fire-and-fury-rhetoric-against-despotic-a3627556.html

I'm not sure some bloke whose dad has his land taken away is the best place to get the inside track on how to deal with KJU's geopolitical ambitions. 

 

Honestly struggling to see why anybody would spend their time trying to convince foxestalk regulars that Donald Trump is a decent kinda guy. Just bizarre.

[Guest MattP]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

Gyopos and NK exiles are always going to want "Fire and Fury", mainly because most of them live a good few thousand miles away from where any such fire and fury would occur.

They also will have close family and friends in the country, doesn't seem to be a shortage of people who have lived inside and outside of the place that believe the rest of the World needs to be a bit tougher. 

 

I could turn it around on you and say it's easy to want to do nothing when you live in a free country. 

 

1 hour ago, toddybad said:

Honestly struggling to see why anybody would spend their time trying to convince foxestalk regulars that Donald Trump is a decent kinda guy. Just bizarre.

That's twice in the space of twelve hours you've read something I have posted and jumped to a very strange conclusion.

[leicsmac]

2 hours ago, MattP said:

They also will have close family and friends in the country, doesn't seem to be a shortage of people who have lived inside and outside of the place that believe the rest of the World needs to be a bit tougher. 

 

I could turn it around on you and say it's easy to want to do nothing when you live in a free country. 

 

1

The gyopos can afford to move their family and friends if it ever comes to that (they tend to be rich), and the exiles friends and families are most often so bad off right now that they feel they're going to suffer no matter what, so why not take the extreme road? That's still no justification for wanting to turn the Korean peninsula into a madhouse with all the associated consequences.

 

I have no doubt that tougher stuff might be needed and that doing nothing could be stipulated as the easier path, but I'm still waiting for anyone to suggest a viable tougher course of action that won't lead directly to mass destruction and death. If anyone has an idea on that score I'm totally all ears.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, MattP said:

They also will have close family and friends in the country, doesn't seem to be a shortage of people who have lived inside and outside of the place that believe the rest of the World needs to be a bit tougher. 

 

I could turn it around on you and say it's easy to want to do nothing when you live in a free country. 

 

That's twice in the space of twelve hours you've read something I have posted and jumped to a very strange conclusion.

But you have spent time makimg arguments in favour of trump within the trump thread? And i assume you posted that article as it survives approves of the trump approach?