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The myth of the North Korean threat

A military balance between North and South – despite the uncertainties the evidence is overwhelming
Tim Beal January 13, 2016
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The myth of the North Korean threat
North Korean young soldiers - North Korea by Eric Lafforgue on 2008-04-13 11:05:06

Gauging a potential opponent’s military capability is a very inexact business. A simple counting of boots in the barracks can be extremely misleading. History is replete with instances of miscalculation and of cases where god was not on the side of the big battalions. Young Alexander of Macedon headed off east in 344 BCE and defeated the much larger Persian Empire, being rewarded with title Alexander the Great, and ultimate accolade of a retrospective virgin birth. Did he know the odds, and would it have made any difference?

Both Hitler and before him Napoleon headed off to Moscow with high

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About the Author

Tim Beal

Tim Beal

Tim Beal did a MA (Hons) in Modern Chinese Studies at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD there on Chinese foreign trade. He moved to New Zealand in 1987 teaching at Victoria University of Wellington until his retirement in 2009. He has written extensively on International and Asian affairs, including two books relating to Korea: ‘North Korea: The Struggle against American Power’ (London: Pluto, 2005) and ‘Crisis in Korea: America, China, and the Risk of War’ (London: Pluto, 2011). He has been visiting both Koreas since the 1990s and maintains a geopolitical website focused on the peninsula at http://www.timbeal.net.nz/geopolitics/

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