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Comment by jrockway | Hacker News Reader

I think this is the beginning of the end for North Korea. They have done a good job annoying the world, but kidnapping US citizens is probably going to have consequences for them.

(Although maybe not, as everyone seems to have forgotten about the people that North Korea kidnapped from Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japa...)

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The consequences and public reaction would probably be more severe if the journalists were white instead of Asian American.

Any evidence to support this statement? Personally, I am just as outraged either way. (Actually, everything about North Korea makes me mad, but I am especially annoyed when they kidnap Americans.)

NYTimes: U.S. Weighs Intercepting North Korean Shipments http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/world/asia/08korea.html?_r...

Well, yes and no. Navy SEALs would have to simultaneously rescue the hostages and disable NK's nuclear capability. That's a tall order.

They don't need nukes. South Korea is well within range of conventional weapons.

In any case:

> Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic.

Nukes are NK's only weapon effective against a carrier battle group.

Apparently, Seoul is in range of conventional weapons, making for millions of "hostages".

Take out the nukes and then demand the hostages handed over unharmed. If they as much as flinch you nuke the country.

The only way you can deal with that guy is to play hardball and be very predictable.

I don't think this will work. What do the leaders of North Korea care if you kill off its people? They have been doing it themselves for years.

That's why this is a delicate situation. North Korea can incinerate Seoul (and perhaps Tokyo) instantly. The leader is a psychopath, and has nothing to lose. So we can't really negotiate -- they don't want anything, and they can kill a lot more people than we can.

(It's depressing to consider how easily one person can kill millions, and how we can't do anything about it, or punish him if he does.)

That's why ST6 has multiple assault groups:)

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