Wait - let me backtrack on that: I served in 2nd Division of U.S. Army in South Korea - on the DMZ - back in 1975-6.
I'd guess that from a professional pundit perspective, that gives me all the credibility in the world to opine about North Korea today!
... anyway... here goes.
The draw placed Korea DPR in Group G. They played their first match against five-time winners Brazil on 15 June, with Brazil winning 2 goals to 1. Their next game was against Portugal on 21 June, with a defeat of 0–7 and finally Côte d'Ivoire on 25 June, which Korea DPR lost 0–3. After losing all three matches in the group stages, they were knocked out, finishing at the bottom of Group G.North Korea got thrashed in World Cup.
[Wikipedia entry, Korea DPR football team]
How'd this happen? ... well... they don't know competition.
They're a VERY insular society.
So... when
North Korea Issues a New Warning1. I'm not surprised.
and
2. I'm not scared.
In fact, I sort of hope that North Korea decides to launch a war against South Korea and the West.
They'll get thrashed.
The Korean peninsula will be re-united.
Except for the North Korean Army and Kim Jong-Il, no one in North Korea has a decent meal... ever.
... and, based on performance of Saddam's "elite" Revolutionary Guards during both Gulf Wars 1&2, I'm less than convinced that North Korea's multi-million man Army has the capability to resist a modern force... and the Republic of Korea (ROK) troops are VERY well trained, equipped, and disciplined!
[Our 'intelligence' communities are conditioned to over-estimate the strength of our opponents.]
Again: I have absolutely NO credentials upon which to base this analysis... but I am a betting man, and would be happy to offer as much as $10 to $1 that, should North Korea decide it's time to engage South Korea and their Western allies, North Korea will get trounced!
I agree NK is pretty much a toothless tiger, but if the penensula was united there'd be not reason to keep a big military presence there and that might ruin the SK economy.
ReplyDeleteWe still have troops in Germany! ... easy to justify keeping troops on Korean peninsula: to provide stability during re-unification... and thereafter to provide buffer against China.
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