re: Things are heating up again in Korea (UPDATE IN OP: US Mobilizes 2nd ID)

quote:

---

true, and SK just revealed their countermeasure today.

NK lobbed one rocket at a loud speaker. SK sent 36 back.

Pretty sure NK has up to 13,000 guns pointed at SK. that's a lot of counterbattery tracking work especially if there is any jamming involved.

---

I don't remember the exact number but I do know it's thousands of artillery pieces the North has zeroed in on the South, If it ever did come to war I think the main question would be whether or not the South could silence the north's artillery in time before their defenses have been overwhelmed by the fire coming down from the north.

One big hurdle for the South would be what to do with the people in Seoul. That one city has 25 million living in it's metropolitan area. Imagine the refugee columns when all those civilians try to get out of the war zone, all at the same time, and all while under massive artillery fire from the North. The carnage would look something like the Highway of Death in the First Gulf War or the Falaise Pocket in WWII.

quote:

---

The North Korean military on the other hand is well fed


No they aren't.

---

Compared to the rest of the country, they are. They're about the only ones, other than those lucky enough to be allowed to live in the capital, who are well fed. Do they look like they're starving?

quote:

---

Not in comparison to their ROK counterparts.

You fear-monger a lot on here.

---

Either you can't read or you're just looking to be a dick. I've said more than once their equipment is mostly obsolete and even said if it ever did come to war they'd be crushed. I've also said more than once in this thread that this latest incident was not going to lead to war. Now how the frick is that "fear-mongering"?

quote:

---

They're going to keep this up until one day things spiral out of control in one of these exchanges and all out war breaks out before they know what's happening.

---

I wonder if they are hedging on the US to step in and give free stuff again.

quote:

---

And if it ever came to war, there's a good chance that China would eventually be sucked in to save their arse so there's the whole issue of it expanding into World War III.

---

Not quite sold on that one, Darth. However, it may be true since China seems to be irked by our Pacific buildup...

quote:

---

While the population numbers are different, EVERYONE assumed the Iraqis would fight to the death and the war (Gulf War) would last forever because they thought Saddam was godlike......didn't turn out that way did it?

---

You can't compare the very divided population of the artificial state of Iraq, a country already exhausted in 1991 after almost a decade of war against Iran, to North Korea.

quote:

---

and they outnumber them by more than 2 to 1.

---

That's a whole shitload. That tide would be very hard to stem in the opening moments. Seoul would be taken, and rather quickly.

quote:

---

You can't compare the very divided population of the artificial state of Iraq, a country already exhausted in 1991 after almost a decade of war against Iran, to North Korea.

---

Also, their mindset and ideology is vastly different. I liken them to be of the WWII Japanese mindset. Or, hell, even the Korean War..

quote:

---

m not 100% sure what China would do. I'm just saying there's a good chance they'd be sucked in. Keep in mind they have a mutual defense treaty with North Korea.

---

I am aware of that. I would hope they wouldn't. Their buildup in the disputed waters is kind of troublesome. Kind of looks like they are flexing and testing.

quote:

---

That's a whole shitload. That tide would be very hard to stem in the opening moments. Seoul would be taken, and rather quickly.

---

I think Seoul would be hammered by the North's artillery for sure. This would lead to a refugee crisis on a scale that's hard to imagine. There's 25 million people living the metropolitan area of Seoul. If even half of them try to flee south, you can forget any reinforcements or supplies from making it from the Southern part of the country to the north where the fighting would be.

However, the North would not find it very easy to move into South Korea either. For starters, the US would from the opening moments establish virtual air supremacy. They'd be able to devastate anything that moved along the 38th parallel. The north's forces would be forced to clear pathways through literally millions of mines that line the border on both sides. While these clearing operations went on, their assault forces would bunch up into the pathways being cleared and this would create a situation where our air power could rip their columns to shreds.

So while the north would be able to devastate Seoul, at least for a little while, I'm not so sure they'd have much luck pushing south.