North Korea Executes "despicable human scum"

[Biscuit]

China pulling out of the bond market though would signal risk to other investors, which surely would increase bond yields. As yields rise, wouldn't the availability of investors decrease as it did with Greece. I don't think it'd cause significant harm to China, they'd still have other markets they can export to, especially the rise of India, Kenya (which is doing fairly well and has a good relationship with China) and Latin America.

In terms of the gold standard, many financial market websites are seeing a shift in Chinese monetary policy. But who knows, it's all hypothetical, but I thoroughly enjoy these debates.

So do I!

I'd say in a situation where the US and China declared war, the U.S. would cancel all debts owed to China. Despite China holding the lion's share of Treasury Securities, those securities only provide benefit should the United States honor them. That'd harm both China (missing out on 8% of 16 trillion US Dollars!) and the US, i.e investor decrease. If China chose not to declare war but instead sold of treasury securities it would impact the United States' ability to import goods from China, which would hurt China. So I still say it's bilateral, yes the US would in a very bad position overall, but it would significantly dent China's finances as well. They do need to keep the balance or both risk losing out,

 

[Raphael Meade]

Erm...

North Korea military budget: $7 bn
US military budget: $698.6 billion

NK fit for service - 10 million
US fit for service - 102 million

America has 100 times the budget, and 10 times the manpower.

It would be the shortest "world war" in history.

I think being 'fit for military service' is an inaccurate figure to quote - that's just how many people are of fighting edge and theoretically could be drafted. If you're looking at actual numbers in the military, then NK wins out.

US active + reserve military - 2.5 million
NK active + reserve military - 9.5 million (the biggest in the world)

 

[Durlston]

Very much so. Some of the Western propaganda about North Korea is hilariously imaginative - but I suppose they can get away with a lot more, as so few people know anything about life there.

The only thing that has been shown about what living in North Korea is like was that undercover reporter from Panarama a few months ago fearing for his life if he was caught by the regime.

Empty hospitals despite their own people dying, a 'nuclear winter' with no opportunity for food to grow, no electricity in the evening, traceable communication with South Korea that could lead to execution and the threat of a terrifying nuclear war for its people. What sort of life is that?

Nobody has the balls to fire the first weapon.....

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I struggle to have any sorrow for him as I doubt he had any sympathy for the millions murdered / starved by the N.Korean "government" that he was part of. One less scum on the face of the planet is a good thing surely ? Now let's hope Kim dies of a nasty painful disease soon.

So what are those who find themselves in the regime supposed to do if they disagree with the way the country is being run if this execution is the result of the

"offences cited including halfhearted applause as Kim rose to power and Jang's "reckless" instruction to security forces to erect a granite block with Kim's signature in a shaded corner rather than in front of their headquarters.

It sounds very unlikely that they would be allowed to resign or to form an opposition to the current rulers.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

The only thing that has been shown about what living in North Korea is like was that undercover reporter from Panarama a few months ago fearing for his life if he was caught by the regime.

Empty hospitals despite their own people dying, a 'nuclear winter' with no opportunity for food to grow, no electricity in the evening, traceable communication with South Korea that could lead to execution and the threat of a terrifying nuclear war for its people. What sort of life is that?

Nobody has the balls to fire the first weapon.....

The way the regime runs the country seems to be to use this sort of oppression and bravado to try to cling onto power when they know that without this system, they could be overthrown in seconds. Earlier in the year it threatened to attack South Korea (again) which is probably more for the impact it will have on its people rather than the real likelyhood of an imminent attack. The people of South Korea, when hearing of this latest threat just ignored it and carried on as before (knowning it was just postering) was the way it was reported in that panorama report

These examples seem to be when conditions within the country are approaching their worst (could the food crisis be worst at this time of year?) so this execution could be a way to stop senior political figures from considering a coup

 

[vegster]

The rumours are he was fed to a pack of hungry dogs, bit of a grisly way to go.

Well that's kind of ironic considering the whole country is going to the dogs !


Mind you, if you have to get rid of someone in a country riven with famine, using them to fatten up next Sunday's roast is probably the way to go.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Nobody knows what he actually did , you can't go by the western media's propaganda machine , orchestrated by the US and backed all the time by the UK . What if Edward Snowden was extradited back to the US , I am sure he would be in for one hell of a sentence , possibly death , I would rather get it over with . Just because North Korea have different ways than what we are used to in the West why question it ? We used to hang people don't forget not so long ago , and the US still apply the death penalty .

At least the defendants got a trial by jury, and convicted before being hanged, not just yanked out of a meeting to die, because the leader was upset with you.

 

[1066familyman]

Nobody knows what he actually did , you can't go by the western media's propaganda machine , orchestrated by the US and backed all the time by the UK . What if Edward Snowden was extradited back to the US , I am sure he would be in for one hell of a sentence , possibly death , I would rather get it over with . Just because North Korea have different ways than what we are used to in the West why question it ? We used to hang people don't forget not so long ago , and the US still apply the death penalty .

...And in fact lead North Korea in the grizzly state execution league (2007 - 12. Source: Amnesty International).

The US are 5th. North Korea are 8th.

 

[jakarta]

...And in fact lead North Korea in the grizzly state execution league (2007 - 12. Source: Amnesty International).

The US are 5th. North Korea are 8th.

Marvellous logic - lets get onside with North Korea in preference to the Septics right away on this basis...

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Marvellous logic - lets get onside with North Korea in preference to the Septics right away on this basis...

Ok North Korea is a rogue state and surely it can only be a matter of time before such a closed and artificial society falls over, but at what cost?

Equally it would be very naïve to believe that the US is squeaky clean on human rights, not just with its own record for capital punishment but also the rendition programmes that it seems we were complicit in and don't really know the true extent of. It suits the US to demonise certain other states like North Korea and Iran in order to make itself look like the good guys.

 

[1066familyman]

Marvellous logic - lets get onside with North Korea in preference to the Septics right away on this basis...

At what point did I mention getting on anyone's side? I merely quoted a set of statistics. You drew the conclusions, not me.

 

[Frutos]

Very much so. Some of the Western propaganda about North Korea is hilariously imaginative - but I suppose they can get away with a lot more, as so few people know anything about life there.

Including you, I presume?

It makes me laugh that you mock people's assumptions of life there only to make a whole load of assumptions yourself a couple of posts later.

Pray tell us, what enlightened sources of information do you have which make your assumptions (as usual, contrary to everyone else's - possibly for the deliberate purpose of having an argument) so much more valid than those of others?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

That documentary was a joke though, it had a clear agenda to find as many problems with North Korea it could - with absolutely no interest in finding or reporting any positives.

It is an incredibly poor country, what do people expect? Would you be surprised if I created a documentary mocking how bad the hospitals and power networks are in Ethiopia? Well to put it in perspective Ethiopia is more than twice as wealthy as N. Korea.

It's an incredibly ambitious nation and its focus on education, science, technology and the arts mean that it is deceptively poor. The world should remove the sanctions, give it aid and allow it to prosper if we genuinely care about the wellbeing of the North Korean people (which it's clear we don't)

But you have to ask why it is so poor, particullaly when compared to the South.

Ambitious nation? Ambitious for who and what? Certainly not for the North Korean people.

There is clearly a power struggle going on inside PDK, and certainly the US likes to have a reason to keep their huge military budget, but to say NK is anything other than a failed rogue state is a huge mistake.

 

[Durlston]

That documentary was a joke though, it had a clear agenda to find as many problems with North Korea it could - with absolutely no interest in finding or reporting any positives.

It is an incredibly poor country, what do people expect? Would you be surprised if I created a documentary mocking how bad the hospitals and power networks are in Ethiopia? Well to put it in perspective Ethiopia is more than twice as wealthy as N. Korea.

It's an incredibly ambitious nation and its focus on education, science, technology and the arts mean that it is deceptively poor. The world should remove the sanctions, give it aid and allow it to prosper if we genuinely care about the wellbeing of the North Korean people (which it's clear we don't)

Deceptively poor? North Koreans would think being in a British prison is a five-star hotel to the lives they have to endure. Communism has to end and the only way to do that is to knock down Kim wrong un's power. NK has put what little money it has into building and maintaining nuclear weapons. How strong they are is anyone's guess but no one wants to start a terrifying war with them because their people and army have been so brainwashed by their government into thinking the USA and other western countries have deprived them of normal luxuries like electricity, proper medical care, food crops etc.

We do care about North Koreans but we are powerless to stop the regime. Do we want to stick our noses in and anger Kim's mad control? Let the USA lead the way on that one.

We also care about Syrians and the money Britain has given to their refugees is the highest in Europe for them to survive their terrible winter.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Erm...

North Korea military budget: $7 bn
US military budget: $698.6 billion

NK fit for service - 10 million
US fit for service - 102 million

America has 100 times the budget, and 10 times the manpower.

It would be the shortest "world war" in history.

It is actually one of the longest wars in history...peace declaration has never been officially signed by NK...but you are right in the rest of your assumptions in my opinion...does communism work...you only have to look at life and conditions in NK and in Eastern Germany till 1989.

 

[Hove&Albion F.C]

That documentary was a joke though, it had a clear agenda to find as many problems with North Korea it could - with absolutely no interest in finding or reporting any positives.

It is an incredibly poor country, what do people expect? Would you be surprised if I created a documentary mocking how bad the hospitals and power networks are in Ethiopia? Well to put it in perspective Ethiopia is more than twice as wealthy as N. Korea.

It's an incredibly ambitious nation and its focus on education, science, technology and the arts

Where to start with this post. Please enlighten us as to what you believe these positives to be for the average north korean?!

 

[Gullys Cats]

Dreadful, thank **** we don't live there!