North Korea Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Deino said:

Just found - in German !! (

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) hat NK confirmed another successful test; this time a Hwasong-14 reaching an altitude of 2.802 km and a range of 933 km.

Deino

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However, Russia put the range and altitude much lower, suggesting the operational range being 2000km.

The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that North Korea launched an intermediate range missile on Tuesday morning. The missile flew around 535 kilometers, reaching an altitude of 510 kilometers, and fell into the Sea of Japan, according to military data.

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The ironic thing here is that for once NK and SK/US are one the same bench (the range) for totally opposing reasons.

One thing to note is that both two set of figures are official (NK state media vs. Russian MoD). And I think US and China know the truth too but both choose to remain silence for opposite reasons.

Mr T said:

I wonder if there's actually a red line that North Korea can cross that China would actually take real action - like suspend energy supplies. And before any replies "but mah refugee flood", I'm asking a question, I'm not saying China should do anything.

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I guess that if NK restarts the korean war China would have to do something.
If the US restarts the korean war, things would get really complicated - I think there is a treaty "obliging" China to aid NK in that case.

schenkus said:

I guess that if NK restarts the korean war China would have to do something.
If the US restarts the korean war, things would get really complicated - I think there is a treaty "obliging" China to aid NK in that case.

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Good you mentioned it although highly unlikely, but theistically possible. Anyone (NK included) crossing 38 parallel by force would be a Chinese red line where China would act unfavorably against the one who crossed it first (NK included).

The Sino-NK mutual assist treaty obliges China to NK's defense if it is threaded, but ALSO stipulate that the reunification must be peaceful by free will of all Koreans (including SK's free will). So the treaty has red line that is 38 parallel which obliges NK too.

@Mr T In this context, I retract my earlier post of "no red line".

taxiya said:

And I don't think "concern of refugee flood" was and is ever the reason that China "being reluctant" to act against NK. That concern was never from the mouths of Chinese officials. It was put into Chinese mouth by western medias, and later picked up by some Chinese tabloids. I can't speak for other people of Chinese background, but I myself will not bother to consider it as a major reason.

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I have heard the excuse wheeled out by a number of Chinese people more than once.

Also, noted your later comment.

schenkus said:

I guess that if NK restarts the korean war China would have to do something.

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Hmm, isn't it a bit late to do something if North Korea starts a war. especially if it involves nuclear weapons?

Maybe China should be prepared to take decisive action to avoid a war? Even if one very cynically suggested that China wouldn't be directly threatened by a war between North Korea and another country, nuclear weapons detonated in Korea could (depending on weather, etc) significantly harm Manchuria and eastern China's ecosystem and poison tens of millions of Chinese people.

Mr T said:

I have heard the excuse wheeled out by a number of Chinese people more than once.

Also, noted your later comment.

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I know that and I have heard myself, that's why I mentioned "picked up by some Chinese tabloid". But I meant no Chinese in official capacity. Essentially I am saying (for example), I myself can speak of that excuse as a Chinese citizen, but I am in no way representing Chinese (official) position.

If news, articles or speeches of these Chinese show up again, I am willing to offer a background research of them.

Mr T said:

I have heard the excuse wheeled out by a number of Chinese people more than once.

Also, noted your later comment.

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Meaning it didn't came from an official than. Just your experience, therefore doesn't count when it comes to diplomacy.

Mr T said:

Hmm, isn't it a bit late to do something if North Korea starts a war. especially if it involves nuclear weapons?

Maybe China should be prepared to take decisive action to avoid a war? Even if one very cynically suggested that China wouldn't be directly threatened by a war between North Korea and another country, nuclear weapons detonated in Korea could (depending on weather, etc) significantly harm Manchuria and eastern China's ecosystem and poison tens of millions of Chinese people.

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Or the US could stop with the North Korea nuclear charade and sit down and talk. Are they that afraid to even considering peaceful talks?

taxiya said:

I know that and I have heard myself, that's why I mentioned "picked up by some Chinese tabloid". But I meant no Chinese in official capacity.

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Indeed. And I don't expect that any senior members of the CCP are masquerading as forum members. So I was pre-empting a comment I have heard ordinary people using as a reason not to do anything about North Korea.

Equation said:

Or the US could stop with the North Korea nuclear charade and sit down and talk. Are they that afraid to even considering peaceful talks?

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There is an interesting question as to whether the US should have had kept talks with Pyongyang going later than it did. But the current situation seems to be that the US won't agree to one-on-one talks as things stands, because they'll be used for propaganda purposes and because Pyongyang has been duplicitous during previous direct talks.

Rather, the US (I believe) wants multi-party talks or for North Korea to make changes to its nuclear/military policy first. After all, it was North Korea that lied about how it was "not" developing nuclear weapons. And given North Korea's significant threat to its neighbours, I can see why South Korea and Japan, at the very least, would want to be included too.

You can argue that's not sensible, but I don't think that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons just because 'Lil Kim can sit down with Trump or the Secretary of State. I don't know that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons as a result of any negotiations (whilst the Kim Dynasty are in charge, anyway), unless maybe there was an iron-clad agreement that it would get something like $100 billion of international aid a year forever.

As usual this launch happens to be the latest most dire situation ever after the last one was the most dire situation ever like the one before that one too and so on and so on... Why is it worse for South Korea and Japan just because North Korea has a missile that can reach the US? Yeah the South Koreans and Japanese were okay already being nuclear sacrificial targets with lesser missiles. This isn't the first missile NK has launched that can reach the US. Maybe this is the first missile that can reach the US like the last missile test was the most dire before this one. A reality show tease and Trump is reality show star...

Why would China make a heavy move against North Korea because of this launch after taking multiple actions against China like the media reports? I can see Trump's minions feeding him false information like maybe China would be worried of a nuclear armed South Korea and Japan. Oh the same thing they taunt for everything else that has nothing to do with North Korea to intimidate China. Maybe Trump is talking about the US taking unilateral military actions against North Korea. Well what stopped them before? Everything that will make them hesitate now. Maybe Trump thinks China will take action because he'll pull the trigger on trade sanctions. Oh the same trade sanctions Trump was threatening during the election campaign the media has been saying will blowback onto the US? What stopped him from pulling the trigger ever since he's been in office?

Hwasong-14 TEL 16 x 16

Meantime amid tensions...

US-ROK alliance demonstrate exercise utilized the U.S. Army MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Hyunmoo Missile II, which fired missiles into territorial waters of South Korea along the East Coast, on July 4, 2017.