South Koreans Protest U.S. Missile Installation as Tensions Escalate on the Peninsula
Hundreds of protesters in the South Korean town of Seongju clashed with police Tuesday night as trailers carrying components of the U.S. advanced missile defense system known as THAAD rolled through en route to a nearby installation site....
....Protesters in the quiet town of Seongju reportedly carried signs reading, "No THAAD, No War" and "Hey, U.S.! Are you friends or occupying troops?"
Kim Jong-kyung, co-head of a group of villagers protesting the THAAD deployment, told Reuters that more than ten people had been injured in clashes with police and some had suffered broken bones. Source
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Anger grows in South Korea over US anti-missile system
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The math confirms this; If war between the US and North Korea starts, it is the South Korean civilians who would be massacred on NK's first retaliatory strike. Trumps insanity will cost the South Koreans millions of people dead. MSM "prime time" has been keeping these protests from public view.
They don't want war and new waves of anti-Americanism are sweeping SK., where none existed. The US is still and occupying force that does not need to be there.
I don't believe it's an "if". I believe it's a "when". I have no doubt that Trump wants his place in history and is just Mad enough, not angry, but Mad enough to start a war with North Korea to get it. He is mentally incompetent and will try start a war with North Korea and 100's of thousands, if not millions of innocent people will die and he will then become the single worst terrorist and mass murderer in the last 70 years. All we can hope is that the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs, stop him by just plain refusing to do it.
The US is still and occupying force that does not need to be there.
I disagree about removing our forces from South Korea or our missile system or Un will invade. However their presence will not stop Trump from launching a war on the North anyway by launching an unneeded pre-emptive strike in the North, knowing it will cause an invasion.
The Topic is how the South Koreans are reacting to this,
"They don't want war and new waves of anti-Americanism are sweeping SK., where none existed. The US is still and occupying force that does not need to be there."
Well, that's not really true. There has been anti-American sentiment there on and off since the 1950s. The U.S. is not an occupying force. The U.S. Forces are there as a defense force against North Korean aggression (which has been on-going in various ways since the armistice) and is there under a SOFA agreement.
Again, people tend to dump this as a Trump caused issues which is naïve at best. Kim and his father, and his grandfather, all, to varying degrees have been the aggressors. Launching missiles in the direction of other nations, developing nuclear weapons in defiance of treaty obligations they took on, now threatening other neighbors (New Zealand and Australia), and the list goes on and on-I've seen this stuff going on over at least the last 6 presidencies.
A historical perspective is needed when discussing North Korea.
The US is still and occupying force that does not need to be there.
Wow . you must be a liberal . They seem to be the most ignorant about history ...
As I am not a warmonger like the democrats and republicans, I am free of their mind numbing propaganda. I call it as it is. Sorry, I don't usually reply to individuals who resort to childish name calling but I made an exception here. Please keep on topic.
If the topic is Korea you need to learn the history of the Korean conflict . War was neither declared nor resolved there . The Koreas only have a cease fire agreement ... which has often been violated by military attacks . If US troops are removed from S. K. the north would invade & win ...
I don't want to learn YOUR version of history. We absolutely disagree. The topic is how the South Koreans are reacting to this. Stay focused.
It's sad that you would decide that there is nothing else to be learned besides what you already know.
Too bad people can't keep on topic. Attention Deficient Syndrome?
It was a reply to your insulting comment. Don't want people to go there? Don't drive the bus there.
The topic is how the South Koreans are reacting to this. Stay focused.
There are millions of South Koreans but only a minority of protestors . Your focus is biased ...
Wrong, once again.
You're very glib & opinionated . I see no reason to accept your denials ...
That's nice, Good bye.
I think you are overly narrowing the topic to the point that it must only come to the conclusion you have already reached.
I'm sorry you feel that way. Thanks for your opinion.
The President of ROK was impeached and will be facing a trial soon. The new elections will be held in a few days, May 9th I believe. The likely winner is Moon Jae-in and he has a very different outlook on THADD than the president that was thrown out.
He issued a statement a couple of days ago warning the U.S. about the tensions that THADD will bring and to respect their democracy. ROK is already suffering a breakdown in relations with the Chinese over it. China is ROK largest trading partner. China looks at THADD as starting an arms race in Korea.
Link....https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/south-koreas-likely-next-president-warns-the-us-not-to-meddle-in-its-democracy/2017/05/02/2295255e-29c1-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html?utm_term=.1f25cf7bac7d
A personal observation from having done business in ROK for decades, is that the South Koreans are noted for demonstration/riots and being very vocal. There have been protests over American troops there for years. What is very different this time is that South Korea will take the brunt of any attack by North Korean. In the mid 1990's under Clinton we backed off when it was estimated that hundreds of thousands of South Koreans would die if a war broke out. In the ensuing 20 years NK has become even more well armed. Both conventional weapons and nuclear weapons.
The U.S. has around 25,000 troops in Korea, most on the DMZ and thousands of visitors/business people from around the world, including the U.S. there on a regular basis.
I'm not going to argue whether we are occupying troops or not. Much of this history goes back to the Korean war.
What I am going to point out is that if we do a first strike against NK are we prepared to suffer the consequences of the blood bath that will take place. Are we going to warn our military and civilian personal that the strike is coming. What about the thousands of non Korean, non American civilians there? Do we start moving them out, don't you think that the North will understand what is going to happen?
BTW, there are thousands of Chinese nationals living in South Korea. They will not stand by if thousands of their citizens are killed.
My advice is to walk softly. Bluster and threats are only going to result in the possibility of getting tens of thousands killed.
The situation is tense and difficult. There is no panacea for this. If your walking through a mine field, you don't tromp around on your size 12's. You tippy toe.
Just my opinion.
FYI - How North Korea Would Retaliate - " The Seoul Capital Area houses up to half of the country's population of 50.22 million people" - Using only conventional weapons, the death toll would be in the millions. South Koreans are not stupid and do not want Trumps war. They have just cause to protest.
If the new South Korean government wants the THADD system removed (and it might), then Trump will have to remove it. In that event, Trump will have kicked China in the ass and accomplished nothing other than damaging our relationship with China. I suppose the next stupid step will be to have the crew of the Vinson stand on deck, shake their fists, and sneer toward North Korea.
The best way to protect South Korea is to avoid war in the first place. China was already tightening the economic screws on it's North Korean ally to make Kim listen to reason but installing THADD is intended to be a swift kick in China's ass to do more. That kick in the ass has angered China because THADD's limited ability to protect South Korea comes with the capacity to use its sophisticated radar system to more closely monitor military movement in China and Russia. Therefore. the Trump move is seen as a US attempt give itself a strategic advantage under the guise of protecting South Korea. That will divert China and Russia from tightening the screws on Kim and recast the whole thing into a much greater conflict between the US, Russia, and China.
I think this is an asinine way of handling the problem. Both China and Russia have strongly advocated restarting the six party talks as an alternative to restarting the Korean War. Trump would prefer to not only risk restarting the Korean War but also restarting the Cold War. If there is war, then it will either end in stalemate or our mutual annihilation. Either way, hundreds of thousands (or perhaps millions) will die for no reason at all. Restart the six party talks and stop playing chicken with other people's lives!
Assuming that THADD is something that was just invented and hasn't been in the works for many years. And if we want to watch China's military movements, we have that capability in Satellites now. The anger over THADD is that it further enscones us as THE protector of South Korea.
And if we want to watch China's military movements, we have that capability in Satellites now.
Satellite surveillance has limits and our weapons systems use radar. It would not be in China's interest to have a US radar system in its backyard and they won't tolerate it. If China and Mexico became allies, do you think we would tolerate China putting a weapons based radar system on the Mexican border?
The anger over THADD is that it further enscones us as THE protector of South Korea.
. . . or it makes South Korea look like an American puppet in a new Cold War.
Not protector; "occupying force,"
They are not occupying forces. You don't get to make up your own "facts". It just makes you look silly and uninformed.
Where did I say it was a fact? Don't you know the difference between fact and opinion? That point is subjective. However, if the US is the "protector" I just think the trump strategy is brilliant.
To protect South Korea, we must start a war with North Korea.
Tactically, it is the best idea ever. Such a move will go down in history. If I was a South Korean, such a military tactic would comfort me enormously.
Not occupying = fact. No opinion required.
Whatever turns your crank.
"Such a move will go down in history."
The only problem with that is that there may not be anyone left on Earth to read it - but I guess it could be locked in the Doomsday Vault and will enable aliens many millenia from now to learn how humanity committed suicide.
You raise an excellent point. Trmps most excellent policy of protecting South Korea by invading North Korea, is sheer brilliance.
He will not invade the North. He will start a war with the North (and get most of our U.S. troops and civilians killed in the South, along with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of innocent South Korean civilians) killed by launching a completely unnecessary attack on the North by a relatively minor provocation such as another nuclear bomb test. Something he MUST go to Congress to get authorization for before he makes a move! He can NOT act on his own on this! He does not have that power! Only CONGRESS does!
Wrong.
I've read some article that state that China is trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and the ROK.
To me this makes little sense. IMO China has a bigger concern and that is the U.S. is trying to rebalance the power in Asia, and hem China in. Surround by South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. I believe they see that as a threat in their backyard, and it is China's back yard, not ours.
I don't believe that going into a big dog's back yard and giving it a kick will do anything more than get your leg taken off.
Not only do the South Koreans not want war, the entire Asian basin of countries do not want war on the Korean peninsula. But anyway you look at it, it will be the South Koreans who will suffer the most.
The Trump plan: If you fall into the Madrid bull fighting ring, pick up the red cape and threaten to hit the bull with it. Growl and show the bull you mean business. In a few seconds, the bull will willingly hurl your body back into the stands and, if you're lucky, you'll crash into the same seat you were sitting in before it all happened.
I agree.
You mean he has a plan? I didn't think he was capable of doing that.
He does not have a plan. He is making it up as he goes along. Which is why many, many, many people will die. Because between his bravado, his bumbling, his braggadocio, his stupidity he may get millions of people killed. The only thing that may stop this walking bag of moronic thoughtlessness and ass-holiness is the fact that he has not filled 57 out the top 58 notional security positions, such as the Secretary (or their assistants or their assistants) for all of our armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force and so on) and they are currently filled by temporary professionals left over from the Obama administration. Look up the Secretary of the Air Force and see what you see? Or Navy. Acting ones from the previous administration. Trump has not even submitted appointments for hundred of critically important positions to the Senate for approval (more then 500) and that may be what saves America because those positions are all filled by real professionals instead of moronic political hacks like Tillerson!
What difference does it make if he fills the positions or leaves them vacant? The only counsel he takes is his own so he is advised by a fool.
South Korea is suffering at the hands of China which has used is trade (China is South Korea's largest trading partner.
Angered by U.S. anti-missile system, China takes economic revenge