IS NORTH KOREA READY FOR WAR?

            North Korea; what to do about it?

            The history of this divided nation happened immediately following World War II. Korea had for decades been under the control of Japan up to and including the war. But an interesting thing happened during the later part of the campaign.

            Russia, who had not been part of the Pacific campaign, promised that after the defeat of Germany they would take up formal arms against the Japanese within three months following Germany’s surrender. And sure enough, exactly three months of the unconditional surrender of Germany the Russians entered Manchuria and into North Korea.

            This wasn’t such a tough thing to accomplish from the Russian perspective. The Chinese communist army led by Mao Zedong battled with Nationalist Party Chaining Kai-shek, to drive out the Japanese army. After the Japanese were defeated Mao used his troops to drive Chaining off the mainland of China where the Nationalist Party president took refuge on the island of Taiwan that remains free to the present day.

            Russia supported Mao at every turn. The Russians helped enslave China under Mao’s dictatorship and impose a form of government that subjected the people to near economic and personal disaster. Enemies of the communist state were liquidated at an unprecedented manner. The publication of Mao’s little “red Book” was mandated as mandatory reading and anyone refusing to comply quickly faced persecution or execution.

            But it didn’t stop there.

            After Russia drove the Japanese out of Manchuria they started to invade Korea. The United States fearing that the Russians would take over all of Korea they proposed that the 38^th parallel would separate north from South Korea. The communists then had control of the north and quickly and the rest is history.

            It is at this point that North Korea’s first dictator took office. His name was Kim Il-sung whose birthday was recently celebrated by his grandson and now dictator, Kim Jong-un.

            By 1949 the communists of North Korea had their hearts set in unifying both north and South Korea and sought the help of both China and Russia to invade the south. With this plan all of Korea would be under control of the Communist Party.

            So on June 25, 1950, with the permission of both China and Russia’s leader Joseph Stalin the North Korean army blasted through the 38^th parallel and marched down the peninsula nearly driving the United States army to the sea. The result was that the United Nations declared the invasion as a “police action” and sent in a limited number of UN members to help the American army. The number of UN combatants sent could nearly be counted on the fingers of your hand! Over 90 per cent of combat fighters were Americans.

            Taking the helm of the allied troops was five-star general Douglas MacArthur. Sizing up the situation he exercised a number of successful campaigns including the unexpected amphibious offensive along the 38^th parallel cutting the North Korean army in half.

            MacArthur wanted to drive the communists all the way back to the Chinese border but then President Harry Truman said no after China furnished troops to aid the North Koreans and fired the general. Truman apparently feared that if the Americans were to force the enemy to the Chinese boarder it would trigger a third world war. As a consequence the battle for Korea raged on until an Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. Officially the war has never ended but only a “peace” agreement put in place.

            And that is where things stand today. If MacArthur had his way there would not be the situation the world faces today with a nuclear equipped country as North Korea led by an unstable maniac who would have no problem other than to pull the trigger. The only thing holding him back is the lack of assurance of China’s help and that is most unlikely experts say.

            Yet North Korea’s dictator continues to put his finger into the United States eye by advancing his country’s nuclear program and experimenting with development of an inter-continental ballistic missile. Both have been condemned by the United Nations but the objections fall unheeded.

            Past administrations going back to all the presidents following Truman never grasped the depth and danger North Korea actually poses. That is until now. President Donald Trump has decided he isn’t going to be bluffed by North Korea. They can rattle all the swords they want but if they were paying attention the North Korean’s should take seriously that the United States could take the north’s capital Pyongyang out with one easily delivered MOAB right in the center of town! Would Trump do it? It all depends—one offensive maneuver by North Korea could very easily end any conflict.

            The key to the situation rests with both China and Russia. Remember it was the Chinese in 1951 who entered the war when the North Koreans were virtually being wiped off the map. And it should also be remembered it was Russia who furnished Mig jet fighters, flown by Russian pilots, who fought against the United States Air Force. Would both countries come again to the aid of North Korea? Most likely not. Neither country wants a third world war and they know the consequences of such a thing were to  happen. But does the current North Korean leader understand all of this?