The North Korean threat – the myth and its makers



Opinion The North Korean threat – the myth and its makers Stories of Pyongyang’s relative military capability are much exaggerated – for a variety of reasons Tim Beal January 21, 2016 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Smiling North Korean Female Soldiers In Tower Of The Juche Idea, Pyongyang, North Korea by Eric Lafforgue on 2012-09-09 08:32:38 miliThe available evidence shows that North Korea is in most respects much weaker militarily than the South, and the balance between the two shifts hugely in the South’s favor in the crucial aspect of advanced technology equipment. But a limited comparison of North and South is really meaningless because this is essentially a question of North Korea versus the United States – an attack by North Korea on the South would inevitably be a declaration of war against the United States. The U.S. has “operational command” of the South Korean military in the event of war, there are © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Opinion

The North Korean threat – the myth and its makers

Stories of Pyongyang’s relative military capability are much exaggerated – for a variety of reasons

Tim Beal January 21, 2016

The North Korean threat – the myth and its makers

Smiling North Korean Female Soldiers In Tower Of The Juche Idea, Pyongyang, North Korea by Eric Lafforgue on 2012-09-09 08:32:38

miliThe available evidence shows that North Korea is in most respects much weaker militarily than the South, and the balance between the two shifts hugely in the South’s favor in the crucial aspect of advanced technology equipment. But a limited comparison of North and South is really meaningless because this is essentially a question of North Korea versus the United States – an attack by North Korea on the South would inevitably be a declaration of war against the United States. The U.S. has “operational command” of the South Korean military in the event of war, there are

About the Author

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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