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North Korea

(181 Posts)
Anya Tue 11-Apr-17 07:50:01

All eyes are on the G7 and Syria and speculating about how Russia (and Iran) will react after Trump's missile attack.

Meanwhile a US warship is heading to waters off North Korea just as a very important date in the North Korean calendar approaches.

Never mind 'beware the Ides of March' how about beware the Ides of April. Trump and KimYong Un facing off against each other?

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 12:14:26

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/21/british-snub-eu-investigation-panama-papers-treasury-hmrc

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 12:12:21

Tell that to HMRC and HSBC.

Fitzy54 Sat 15-Apr-17 12:10:23

I think the important difference is that NK money laundering is said to be state sponsored. We, hopefully, are just a country with our allotted share of criminals.

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 11:54:13

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-london-homes-for-foreign-human-rights-abusers-assets-magnitsky-act-criminal-finances-bill-a7591656.html

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 11:49:46

I think the UK is good at money laundering, too.

whitewave Sat 15-Apr-17 11:00:36

Drugs as well, so that accounts for some of the money. Charmers aren't they?

petra Sat 15-Apr-17 10:56:48

The one thing I do know they're good at is money laundering. Some Chinese companies have had dodgy dealings with them.

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 10:56:00

No EU or UK weapons sales to North Korea in last three years, whitewave. But we have sold to South Korea - BAE systems fighter jets in 2015.
South Korea also has robot soldiers which fire machine guns hitting targets 4 km away. I doubt it will scare Kim Yong Un.

Fitzy54 Sat 15-Apr-17 10:39:54

please ignore typos. Predictive text?

Fitzy54 Sat 15-Apr-17 10:35:44

WW I would think NK have there own weapons manufacturing capability, and might look to China as another source?
In terms of what need to be done, I hesitate to criticise Trump. Sending warships to NK looks like a dangerous idea to me, but then again every option seems wrong. I suppose China may still have some influence with KYU but I'm not convinced. He comes across as seriously unbalanced.

whitewave Sat 15-Apr-17 10:04:01

hild listening to a commentator on the radio yesterday. Apparently North Korea has so many missiles both ordinary, nuclear and chemical that it seems the USA couldn't possibly contain it, or hope to take the launch areas out. South Korea is in real danger, and I'd hate to be living there at the moment.

Where did the money come from for all these weapons. Who sold them to the North Koreans? Please don't say us!!!!

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 10:01:55

Where do you suggest they shoot them down, hilda?
In the right place to irradiate as few people as possible? Where would that be?

Anya Sat 15-Apr-17 09:57:48

I'm so hoping to be a Cassandra.

hildajenniJ Sat 15-Apr-17 09:57:22

When Kim Jong-Un came to power, I had hoped that things in North Korea might change. Sadly this hasn't happened, if anything this boy is more unpredictable than his late father. The people are living in a state of tyranny. Let's hope the US has enough fire power to shoot down any missiles that North Korea might launch.
It's so difficult, how can anyone negotiate with these people, they are so paranoid about the way the rest of the world sees them.

durhamjen Sat 15-Apr-17 09:45:56

So US warships are in position to shoot down North Korean nuclear missiles?
Kim Yong Un has tested three missiles so far and two of them have been more powerful than those of Hiroshima.
Hope you are right, Anya - or Cassandra.

Anya Sat 15-Apr-17 09:26:18

Fear indeed WW for those with the half a brain and brain washing for the rest. It's been inculcated into them since they were babies.

There's no way Kim Yong Un will not hold a nuclear test today. It might be underground or he might launch a test missile. Let's hope he doesn't aim it at anything in particular, like the US fleet.

whitewave Sat 15-Apr-17 09:18:59

Wonder if Russia has any influence? The have a moral duty to at least to try seeing as they helped North Korea to obtain a nuclear programme in the first place.

I am fascinated by the pictures of all those people sat clapping as Kim walks into the room. It looks like a computer graphic and yet we assume it isn't. But how can you get so many people to behave in exactly the same way? Fear I suppose.

Luckygirl Sat 15-Apr-17 09:11:32

Just don't worry folks, the "problem of North Korea will be taken care of." (Trump) Well, that's just fine then.

Just read an article about Trump and the fact that he has found out that things are "more complicated" than he had thought prior to taking office - not just N Korea but a raft of other things as well. Hmm.

How on earth did this dim nutter get where he is? He is a loose cannon and we can only sit and wait for the results of his pre-school mindset.

rosesarered Sat 15-Apr-17 08:46:29

North Korea is the real danger here.Doing nothing ( in the past) to curb them has what has led to this real danger today.Sometimes taking no action is an action in itself.
The hope is that the Trump administration will lean on China to intervene, and when you think about it, China will not be all that happy for North Korea to be such a powerful next door neighbour( China wants that for itself.)

Badenkate Sat 15-Apr-17 08:12:21

The worrying thing is that both the USA and North Korea have very unpredictable leaders.

Anya Sat 15-Apr-17 08:05:59

.What do you mean by leeway?

LuckyDucky Sat 15-Apr-17 06:03:57

Pres. Trump has given the US armed forces the same leeway as Pres. Bush. The US warship will be in a position to shoot down N Korean missiles.

BTW, anyone noticed how the uniforms hang
on the N Korean woefully thin troops? Then, glance at their dictator.

Taking the Chinese premier to his estate was a master stroke. He couldn't have entertained his visitor at the WH in the same way.

All the US warship has to do is shoot down the N.Korean missiles, before they fall in the sea. grin

Anya Sat 15-Apr-17 04:06:30

You are correct DJ the Ides of the month is only the 15th in March, May, July and October. The other eight months it's the 13th.

So everything will be OK and I might change my name to Cassandra!

durhamjen Fri 14-Apr-17 22:27:29

200 reporters in North Korea. Not sure I'd want to be there. Can't imagine anyone wanting to be there.

durhamjen Fri 14-Apr-17 22:23:43

Ides of April was yesterday, Anya.
Trump doesn't consult. He tells people what to do.
Fortunately, China seems to be able to calm him down. I hope he carries on wanting to be friends with China.