Battle Born

A CORNERED PYONGYANG COULD STRIKE OUT, WARNS U.S.

— Manila, Philippines (Reuters), May 21, 1997

The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific said Wednesday that forcing famine-hit North Korea into a corner could drive it to attack its southern neighbor, resulting in heavy loss of life.

Adm. Joseph Prueher said the severity of the famine in the North remained unclear, but Washington’s immediate concern was that Pyongyang “retains a considerable military capability to lash out.”

“Should they try and conduct a full-scale assault they will not prevail, but it would nonetheless be a very difficult situation with a lot of loss of life because of the military capability North Korea maintains,” he said….

RIMPAC WILL ONLY INCREASE TENSION

— Pyongyang, June 6, 1998—(KCNA [Korean Central News Agency, official government news agency of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea])

Rimpac joint military manoeuvres involving the United States, Japan, South Korea, etc. will be reportedly held on the Pacific for a month from early July.

… The present South Korean regime, which styles itself a “government of people,” is hell bent on confrontation and war preparations against the fellow countrymen in the north. It has frequently staged military exercises simulating an invasion of the north throughout South Korea under the pretext of “coping with the enemy’s provocation of a limited war.”

It is obvious that the participation in the joint manoeuvres by the South Korean puppets, who are aggravating the situation of the Korean peninsula with north-south confrontation and war preparations, is aimed at invading the north in league with outsiders….

S. KOREA PLEDGES MILK TO THE NORTH

— Washington Post, July 22, 1998

South Korea, overlooking recent spy incursions by North Korean agents, is sending 781 tons of powdered milk to help the starving North.

N. KOREA MAY BE BUILDING NUCLEAR SITE; ACTIVITY RAISES CONCERN ABOUT ARMS PRODUCTION

— Washington Post, August 18, 1998

American intelligence is worried that some 15,000 North Korean workers are building a huge underground nuclear facility. The suspected activity runs counter to an agreement Pyongyang made to suspend nuclear weapons research in favor of massive amounts of aid dollars. The White House officially refused to comment on the matter, except to note that North Korea remains in compliance with the 1994 accord and the situation is being closely watched.

CONGRESSIONAL AIDES REPORT HIGH HUNGER TOLL IN N. KOREA

— Washington Post, August 20, 1998

Upwards of 800,000 North Koreans are dying from starvation or hunger-related illnesses. A group of bipartisan congressional staffers, following a week-long fact-finding tour of North Korea, said the country is in miserable condition and the situation is only getting worse.

PYONGYANG ROCKET ‘CRASHED OFF ALASKA COAST’

— South China Morning Post, September 17, 1998

North Korea’s missile test nearly reached Alaska. A piece of the rocket traveled about 6,000 km and splashed into the Pacific near the Alaskan coast.

N. KOREA REPORTED TRAINING PILOTS FOR KAMIKAZE ATTACKS

— Baltimore Sun, September 20, 1998

North Korea is reportedly training some 140 pilots for kamikaze missions against key South Korean targets, should war break out on the divided peninsula.

NK OFFICIAL SAYS WAR GROWING IMMINENT

— Pacific Stars & Stripes, October 1, 1998

North Korea’s vice foreign minister, Choe Su Hon, said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that the danger of another Korean War is “getting even more imminent” because the peninsula remains divided. Choe said reunification would remove the danger but called the U.S. military presence in South Korea the major obstacle.

EXPERT URGES MISSILE DEFENSE

— Pacific Stars & Stripes, October 22, 1998

U.S. military strategist William Taylor warned Japan, South Korea and the U.S. are “totally naked” to missile attacks from rogue nations like North Korea. He urged that missile defense systems planning take priority in Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.

PENTAGON: NUCLEAR UPGRADE NEEDED FOR DETERRENCE

— Washington Times, December 4, 1998

A blue-ribbon Pentagon panel is urging the Clinton administration to improve the nation’s nuclear forces for decades to come in the face of Russia’s large arsenal and China’s growing strategic force. The report by the Defense Science Board task force challenges key U.S. arms-control policies, including the ban on nuclear testing, reliance on arms-reduction agreements and monitoring of nuclear-warhead reliability. A major finding is that the Pentagon lacks a long-term planning mechanism for nuclear-weapons programs.

JOINT ‘MIND WARFARE’ UNIT SET UP WITH U.S.

— South China Morning Post, January 15, 1999

U.S. and South Korean officials agreed to set up a joint psychological warfare unit that will attempt to win over North Korean civilians in the event of war.

PORTRAIT OF A FAMINE: STARVING NORTH KOREANS WHO REACH CHINA DESCRIBE A SLOWLY DYING COUNTRY

— Washington Post, February 12, 1999

As best they can, North Korean refugees drag themselves through snow and bitter cold to reach haven in China. Those who survive their personal exodus disclose horrifying tales of a slowly dying country, where famine is a continuing nightmare…. Aid supplies gathered by various agencies and sent to North Korea don’t usually get to ordinary people, despite what international aid agencies proclaim. Most food and medicine is routed to families of the Workers’ Party and the military….