Postby likeafox » Tue May 25, 2010 7:06 am
Things haven't been this dicey in the Koreas in our lifetimes either, which is what prompted me to post this. The other main event was the second nuclear test by NK (the first being the questionably-happened one).
I wanted to say costliest in terms of lives as well, but I haven't studied every war in my lifetime to have said that with certainty. I know some of the stuff in Africa has been very deadly.
North Korea has a huge army and a trove of chemical weapons. Beyond that they have very arguable srsbsns missile and nuclear capabilities, and in most other ways they're stuck in a timewarp. They're greatly technologically inferior and don't produce enough ammunition to train their forces properly. It'll be hard to say how advantageous the technological barrier will be, because modern warfare between forces like these will have been unprecedented, but it'll still be significant. Again, third largest army in the world, and they have the largest army relative to their population by a factor of, I think, TEN. Enough to keep their country locked down tight and still have a massive invasion force. That guarantees carnage.
Anyways, I completely agree that SK has everything to lose by engaging in full war, and they're going to do everything they can to avoid that. But it is pretty obvious than NK is the one who presses the buttons in this relationship and that's what its been doing for the past 50 years. I have a feeling though that if the wrong button is pressed, and any sort of war breaks out, NK is going to feel threatened and isn't going to hold back. The South will have no choice but to return in kind.