Once again, the capitalist press is spreading lies about the North Korean “Goliath” making unprovoked threats against the poor lil’ US Imperialist David.
Well, as usual, nothing could be further from the truth. The United States and its puppet government in South Korea are playing a very dangerous game of “nuclear chicken” with the North Koreans right now during the world’s largest military exercises: the US/S. Korean “Operation Foal Eagle”. In these “war games” the US is flying B-52 bombers complete with nuclear weapons right at the North Korean border, hoping that the N. Koreans will panic and launch a defensive military response, triggering, perhaps, a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula!
We aren’t making this up; this latest exchange of US threats and N. Korean assertions that they are very well prepared for whatever the US tries to throw at them began on 18 March when US Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter made a visit to South Korea to see up close how the latest US provocation against supposedly “crazy” North Korea was progressing. (By the way: if the North Koreans are so batshit “crazy”, why does the US continually try to provoke them to attack S. Korea? Isn’t that dangerous?)
While he was there this upper class twit, product of Yale and Board of Trustees member of the MITRE Corporation – yes, he makes his money by warmongering – had a few things to say to the North Koreans via the South Korean press. To wit:
“The key topic of our discussions today was North Korea and its continued pattern of provocative actions that pose a serious threat to the United States and Republic of Korea as well as to regional and global stability.
“The United States is working with friends and allies around the world and is employing an integrated response to these unacceptable provocations: the United Nations Security Council resolutions with unprecedentedly strong sanctions, additional unilateral sanctions of great effect, and all together the progressive isolation of North Korea.
“In the military sphere, the United States remains steadfast in its defense commitments to the Republic of Korea. Together, we are taking important steps to advance the alliance’s military capabilities.
“In particular, we’ve remained steadfast to our commitment to extended deterrence offered by the U.S. nuclear umbrella and will ensure that all of its capabilities remain available to the alliance. For example, I should note the presence of strategic bombers taking place in flight training in the Korea peninsula area in particular, for example, but this is routine, there will be a B-52 flight tomorrow. “
“The third example of our commitment to the alliance is the ongoing annual exercise Key Resolve and also Foal Eagle, and this afternoon I’ll have the opportunity to go with General Thurman to observe these exercises which demonstrate our commitment to the alliance and ensure the readiness of both of our forces to defend the Republic of Korea and deepen interoperability with U.S. and South Korean forces.
” In the United States, our commitment to the alliance is part of our Asia-Pacific rebalance and we will ensure that all the pieces of our defense relationship continue to move forward, and I should say this will occur despite the budgetary pressures in the United States. The Asia-Pacific rebalance is a priority. It’s a historic priority. We have the resources to accomplish it and no matter what happens in the budget debates that go on in the United States, our commitment to the Asia-Pacific rebalance and our commitment to the United States-ROK Alliance will remain firm.”
[Source: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs); News Transcript, “Media Availability with Deputy Secretary Carter at the United States Embassy, Seoul, South Korea” at http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=5206%5D
Yes, he said B-52 bombers! Just imagine the Russians or Chinese holding “war games” within the 200-mile limit just off Chesapeake Bay and try to imagine how the US Government would react.
Quite understandably, the North Koreans did not like this crap at all. Here is how they interpreted the maneuvers carried out by the US and South Korean militaries over the past week:
“The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, i.e., North Korea – ed.] released the following statement on Tuesday.
“The U.S. anti-DPRK hostile acts being intensified over its satellite launch for peaceful purposes have reached the eve of nuclear war.
“On Monday U.S. B-52 strategic bombers flied to the sky above south Korea by stealth again to stage a nuclear bomb dropping drill aimed at a surprise nuclear preemptive attack on the DPRK. Their flight defying our repeated warnings clearly proves that the U.S. plan for a nuclear war has entered an uncontrollable phase of practice.
“The U.S. is making desperate efforts to seek a way out from igniting a nuclear war against the DPRK, afraid that if the DPRK with nuclear weapons achieves economic prosperity through the building of a thriving nation, its hostile policy toward the DPRK will end in failure.
“The U.S. has already cooked up two ‘resolutions on sanctions’ through the UN Security Council in less than two months, creating a vicious cycle of escalated tension to provide an international pretext for unleashing a nuclear war under the signboard of ‘nuclear non-proliferation’.
“Now the U.S. is mobilizing all their ‘three nuclear attack means’ in the preparation for a nuclear war against the DPRK.
“Strategic nuclear missiles in the U.S. mainland are aiming at the DPRK and submarines with nuclear warheads are swarming to the waters off south Korea and its vicinity in the Pacific region.
“Meanwhile, the U.S. deputy secretary of Defense, who visited south Korea to finally examine the preparations of a nuclear war against the DPRK, openly said that the U.S. military attaches top priority to the second Korean war, giving green light to a nuclear war.
“Accordingly, the commander of the U.S. forces in south Korea and the south Korean military chief drafted a ‘joint plan to cope with local provocation’. The main point of it is to start a total nuclear war involving the U.S. forces in the U.S. mainland and the Pacific region after the south Korean puppet army touches off a conflict.”
[Source: Korean Central News Agency: “DPRK Informs UNSC of Impending Danger of Nuclear War on Korean Peninsula”, 26 March 2013 available at http://www.kcna.kp/kcna.user.article.retrieveNewsViewInfoList.kcmsf%5D.
Nice, huh? This is why those “crazy” North Koreans are “threatening” to retaliate against the US military bases they can reach in Guam, Hawaii and the U.S. mainland – probably far western Alaska!
The North Korean military pulled no punches when it put out their own statement, which is the one all the world’s capitalist press is ripping out of context and twisting to make it look like the North Koreans are the aggressors:
“The Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) issued the following statement Tuesday:
“The U.S. nuclear war racket has gone beyond the danger line and entered the phase of an actual war, defying the repeated warnings from the army and people of the DPRK.
“The U.S. let B-52 formation deployed in Anderson air force base on Guam fly into the sky above south Korea at around 08:00 on March 25. The formation staged a nuclear striking drill with simulated targets in the depth of the DPRK from around 11:50 and revealed it to the public. […] The KPA Supreme Command declares at home and abroad the final decision of the army and people of the DPRK as follows as regards the present prevailing situation:
“1. We will demonstrate with the practical military action the firm will of the army and people of the DPRK to take counteraction to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the supreme leadership of the country.
“There is a limit to patience.
“It is the clear conclusion drawn by us that we can never tolerate the serious situation in which the sovereignty and dignity of the supreme leadership of the country are ruthlessly trampled down and the U.S. nuclear threat and blackmail are turning into a real war.
“From this moment the KPA Supreme Command will put on the highest alert all the field artillery units including strategic rocket units and long-range artillery units which are assigned to strike bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in the U.S. mainland and on Hawaii and Guam and other operational zone in the Pacific as well as all the enemy targets in south Korea and its vicinity.
“2. We will show the present puppet authorities of south Korea, which are dancing to the tune of their master, kowtowing to his hostile policy toward the DPRK, the strongest will of the DPRK army with physical action.
“The enemies are seriously mistaken if they think they can find an opportunity for striking “basic bases” and attacking “support forces” and “commanding forces”.
“They should be mindful that everything will be reduced to ashes and flames the moment the first attack is unleashed.
“It is the unshakable stand of the army and people of the DPRK that they can never allow the treacherous acts, the preceding ruler committed by pushing the inter-Korean relations to a catastrophe and blocking the way for peace and prosperity for five years, to be taken over by the present south Korean chief executive.
“3. We call upon progressive people of the world opposing war and loving peace to turn out as one in the struggle against the brigandish U.S. highhanded and arbitrary practices.
“Injustice can never become justice though it is practiced by big countries with advantageous military muscles.
“Even the resolution of the UN Security Council will become unjust one and become an international crime going against the trend of the times if it is devoid of impartiality.
“Injustice is temporary one and will die in end.
“But justice is like a flame that flares up forever.
“The KPA Supreme Command calls upon the conscience of the world to actively join the army and people of the DPRK in defending independence and justice, not blindly following the U.S. high-handed and arbitrary practices and the UNSC’s “resolutions” bereft of impartiality.
“Victory is in store for the army and people of the DPRK rising up to defend the sovereignty, and progressive people of the world loving justice and peace.”
[Source: Korean Central News Agency: “DPRK Will Show Its Will for Counteraction with Military Action: KPA Supreme Command”, 26 March 2013, available at http://www.kcna.kp/kcna.user.article.retrieveNewsViewInfoList.kcmsf#this%5D
Now you know what’s really happening on the Korean peninsula. The North Koreans have every right to defend themselves by any means necessary if the US pushes its luck too far; for them to do otherwise would be absolutely irresponsible. As we said before: imagine what the US would do if the tables were turned! The US is playing a very dangerous game, one that could launch World War Three in a heartbeat!
US/UN/NATO Hands off North Korea! Defend North Korea! Workers of the World, Unite!
IWPCHI
Independent Workers Party of Los Angeles 
How do you know the B-52s were armed with nuclear weapons?
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We don’t know if those B-52s were carrying nukes or not – and neither did the North Koreans; that’s the point. The US deliberately made it look like they were sending those B-52s on live bombing runs right at the border of North Korea. The whole point of the US war games exercise is to simulate just such an attack. How is the North supposed to respond to such an event? It is their job to defend their nation against attacks from their historic “enemy #1”: the United States, which proved for all time its readiness to slaughter Korean men, women and children with impunity in the Korean War. For the North to just brush off such an act by the US would be the height of irresponsibility – tantamount to suicide. Just try to imagine the Russians and Chinese mounting a similar series of “war games” 50 miles off the coast of Virginia and you’ll get the picture.
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