Support NeoGAF

[XiaNaphryz]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-sanctions-idUSKBN16S2KY

Tue Mar 21, 2017 | 5:56pm EDT
By Stephanie Nebehay | GENEVA

North Korea has nothing to fear from any U.S. move to broaden sanctions aimed at cutting it off from the global financial system and will pursue "acceleration" of its nuclear and missile programs, a North Korean envoy told Reuters on Tuesday.

This includes developing a "pre-emptive first strike capability" and an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), said Choe Myong Nam, deputy ambassador at the North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

Reuters, quoting a senior U.S. official in Washington, reported on Monday that the Trump administration is considering sweeping sanctions as part of a broad review of measures to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threat.

"I think this is stemming from the visit by the Secretary of State (Rex Tillerson) to Japan, South Korea and China...We of course are not afraid of any act like that," Choe told Reuters.

"Even prohibition of the international transactions system, the global financial system, this kind of thing is part of their system that will not frighten us or make any difference."

He called existing sanctions "heinous and inhumane".

North Korea has been under sanctions for "half a century" but the communist state survives by placing an emphasis on juche or "self-sufficiency", he said. His country wants a forum set up to examine the "legality and legitimacy of the sanctions regime".

"We strengthen our national defense capability as well as pre-emptive strike capabilities with nuclear forces as a centerpiece," Choe said.

Asked to comment on Choe's remarks, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Anna Richey-Allen, called on North Korea "to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric...and to make the strategic choice to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks."

Choe declined to give technical details of North Korea's latest rocket engine test on Sunday - seen as a possible prelude to a partial ICBM flight - calling it a great historical event that would lead to "fruitful outcomes".

"I can tell you for sure that the inter-continental ballistic rockets of the DPRK will be launched at any time and at any place as decided by our Supreme Leadership," Choe said, recalling leader Kim Jong Un's pledge in a New Year's address.

Analysts say North Korea has likely mastered the technology to power the different stages of an ICBM and may show it off soon, but is likely still a long way from being able to hit the mainland United States.

"The United States has been talking about launching pre-emptive strikes at North Korea," Choe said. "And we have been prepared to deter, to counter-attack such attacks on the part of the United States.

 

[How About No]

Oh. Great

 

[zeemumu]

I dunno, this Avatar Project meter only has 2 bars in it.

 

[Escape Goat]

Sounds like more of the same from NK.

 

[Frozenprince]

"We have no fear of sanctions" Until the next famine.

 

[frontovik]

Perhaps it's about time that thermonuclear weapons be deployed against NK? /s

 

[Vanillalite]

Bigger deal currently is the freezing period they are having with China.

Usually NK can get away with shit cause they are chummy with China. China getting frosty against NK is the real squeeze.

 

[HazySaiyan]

That's because it's not you that's starving to death, it's your citizens.

 

[OG_Original Gamer]

Hmmm.....North Korea or the Sudan, which one should I be worried about the most.

 

[liquidtmd]

'We're gonna have the best ICBMs. The best. The U.S are SAD'

 

[Robdraggoo]

What is the reason this guy is still around. We have usurped governments for less. If he legit not a threat. Becuase he didn't seem like a rational fellow.

 

[Stinkles]

"We have no fear of sanctions" Until the next famine.

And there's the rub.

We kill peasants every time we prevent Kim from getting his favorite caviar.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

"We have no fear of sanctions" Until the next famine.

You mean to tell me there already isn't widespread of famine in NK already?

 

[capitalCORN]

What is the reason this guy is still around. We have usurped governments for less. If he legit not a threat. Becuase he didn't seem like a rational fellow.

Because NK can level Seoul and march in a matter of hours while striking anywhere it wants with enriched weapons in Japan?

 

[Surfinn]

Haven't they been engaging in this type of rhetoric and propaganda for years?

Not to downplay their technological advancement of course.

 

[goodcow]

What is the reason this guy is still around. We have usurped governments for less. If he legit not a threat. Becuase he didn't seem like a rational fellow.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile...18/world/asia/us-north-korea-weapons.amp.html

 

[Subpar Spatula]

You have no fear of sanctions but y'all won't do much when China forces you. China won't risk war for NK.

 

[Linkup]

As if more sanctions are going to help anything. They haven't done anything the last decade so what are more sanctions going to change now? Sanctions make it easy for the government to push the people to dislike the US rather than them and keep the people cut off from the outside. If they were trading and/or doing business with the US and others then they would have a better chance of seeing things differently, but as it stands they are going to rely on their leaders more if a famine hits and it would be easy to link it to US sanctions. Tightening sanctions isn't going to help things.

 

[Windam]

Wouldn't it be nice to have better relations with North Korea? Wouldn't it be nice if they could help us in the fight against ISIS?

 

[Robdraggoo]

Because NK can level Seoul and march in a matter of hours while striking anywhere it wants with enriched weapons in Japan?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile...18/world/asia/us-north-korea-weapons.amp.html

Aww. Fuck. Thanks

 

[Iolo]

Per AP, DPRK is expected to test another missile within the next few days, preparations are observed including VIP seating

 

[geomon]

They have no reason to be afraid. They're backed by China and Russia.

 

[EatinOlives]

Not that I think they'll succeed in anything, but now's as good a time as any to try this shit. Trump can't govern his way out of a fucking paper bag.

 

[Azuran]

Aww. Fuck. Thanks

There's also the refugee problem. How would South Korea and China deal with millions of people that have no basic idea of how society actually works outside their propaganda-filled world? Accepting that amount of people could be economically devastating for SK.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

They have no reason to be afraid. They're backed by China and Russia.

Is China and Russia really going to back NK in a war? Probably not. There's too much to lose for both of them.

 

[Epcott]

Meanwhile: Trump focuses on arguing with rappers and a football star.

 

[blanchot]

those mad lads

 

[Regulus Tera]

What is the reason this guy is still around. We have usurped governments for less. If he legit not a threat. Becuase he didn't seem like a rational fellow.

Did you miss the part in the thread title about nuclear weapons?

 

[captainpat]

Where the hell are they getting the money to do this shit?

 

[blanchot]

Where the hell are they getting the money to do this shit?

they print their own money, their funds are endless

 

[darkistheway]

Once NK has ICBMs capable of hitting anywhere in the world, I wonder how long the sanctions will last? 5 minutes?

I never really understood the end-game here. Shouldn't the goal be to open up things?

Backing North Korea into a corner doesn't seem smart.

 

[Arc]

they print their own money, their funds are endless

Who is selling them the uranium?

 

[Coriolanus]

fwiw NK, in spite of its extreme fuckery, has a near 50 year history of being a rational actor. Concerns that they'd nuke another nation for the lulz seem a bit unjustified, especially when one considers that at that point all restraints would be off and they'd be wiped off the map. Since Kim hasn't shown signs of being downright suicidal, no reason to worry.

This is just their standard posturing.

If the suffering of north koreans is a concern, other actors could always, yknow, drop economic sanctions and stuff.

Who is selling them the uranium?

probably pakistan. They've traded nuclear info before, apparently, so it wouldnt be a massive stretch.

 

[Culex]

Eventually something is going to give. In its current state NK can't continue. Took Russia nearly 70 years.

 

[RPGCrazied]

We are going to war with them. Thanks Trump voters. Hope you are first to get drafted.

 

[darkistheway]

Who is selling them the uranium?

They have their own, I believe.

 

[Althane]

We are going to war with them. Thanks Trump voters. Hope you are first to get drafted.

What? Why would we institute a draft for fighting North Korea?

 

[Lo-Volt]

I don't mean to justify or give succor to this government's position, but that's probably true. The United States has been twisting the garage since the end of the Korean War. That also means that, on our own, we've given up a lot of leverage we might otherwise have had. This administration seems especially on interested and unequipped to find a better solution anyway. We must look to Beijing, I think.

 

[ultratruman]

Kim doesn't know how to stop bluffing, just like Saddam.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

I just hope that when declarations of war are getting floated they also factor in taking responsibility for the refugees.

As it was quite fucking pathetic to just expect Angela Merkel and the EU to have to handle the refugee crisis whilst the US takes in the bare minimum.

So don't speak of war unless you also intend to deal with the refugees.

 

[RPGCrazied]

What? Why would we institute a draft for fighting North Korea?

You don't think Trump would send troops there? He doesn't have restraint.

 

[K.Sabot]

Perhaps it's about time that thermonuclear weapons be deployed against NK? /s

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

You don't think Trump would send troops there? He doesn't have restraint.

But why do you need a draft? The US military is big enough for that as it is.

 

[Regulus Tera]

Kim doesn't know how to stop bluffing, just like Saddam.

Saddam never claimed to have Nukes. Hell the whole reason he got toppled was because the Bush administration sold the idea that he did.

 

[SDCowboy]

You don't think Trump would send troops there? He doesn't have restraint.

Are you being serious right now?

 

[Memory]

Can't really blame them, Russia are running rings around the EU and the US and Trump wants to reduce the already weak sanctions. Why should they be afraid?

 

[Althane]

You don't think Trump would send troops there? He doesn't have restraint.

If they're tossing nukes around, I think it's fair to invade from a 'world police' standpoint. But a draft? We didn't need a draft to do Iraq and Afghanistan, and there's no way that Trump has the political capital to pull off a draft.

 

[geomon]

Is China and Russia really going to back NK in a war? Probably not. There's too much to lose for both of them.

They have way more to lose if they don't.

 

[theignoramus]

Not that I think they'll succeed in anything, but now's as good a time as any to try this shit. Trump can't govern his way out of a fucking paper bag.

He's also an impulsive man who responds to provocation one way and one way only: returning fire. That could start another war. And a war with NK will involve Vietnam era casualties on both sides, it's no joke.

 

[RangerX]

They can say that because the "administration" there don't give a shit if their people starve to death. Sanctions won't affect them.