North Korea Bangs War Drum, Prepares for Attack on South Korea

Just when you thought U.S. military action overseas was winding down...

North Korean soldier photo by AFP

(CHICAGO) - A possible showdown is coming between the million man army of NKorea and the joint US-SKorean forces.

Like a pressure cooker simmering for many months, all the ingredients for war that have been simmering may be about ready to boil over.

The official news agency of the government in Pyongyang has reacted to the joint naval exercises conducted by US, Japanese and SKorean forces by vowing that the NKOrean government will increase their military capability and weaponry by a factor of one thousand.

State of war exists

NKorea also accused the US of declaring outright war. They pointed at the naval exercise as an example of escalating hostilities. NKorea watchers have been speculating for some time that the belligerent nation might make a military move against their neighbor to the south during the dangerous transition period when dictator Kim Jong-il passes the reigns of political power to his son.

That political transition is imminent.

War itself may also be imminent. During 2009 the government of NKorea announced to the world that the Armistice it had signed with the US in 1953 was null and void and that the rogue nation was once again at war with its bitter enemy. SKorea had never signed the peace agreement placing the war on hold and has remained in a state of war with its northern neighbor for the past 57 years.

Plan to 'kill' America

Whether the NKoreans will actually attack SKorea in the near future is unknown. Military analysts point to the fact that the government of NKorea has been working furiously to perfect their long-range Taepodong-2 missile. Provocatively nicknamed 'the Los Angeles' rocket, the diabolical plan of the NKorean military is to detonate one or more nuclear warheads over the western region of the US creating an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). An EMP attack would knock out most of America's electronic infrastructure including the banking and financial systems, transportation, utilities, water processing plants, government agencies and the Internet.

Mass havoc would ensue.

Aftermath

Defending the US from a nuclear EMP weapon launched by a rogue state like NKorea (or even Iran) is no easy task. Why is this? From a technological perspective, America has painted itself into a corner and is now extremely vulnerable to such an attack.

Although the US is a superpower, its economy and infrastructure is very fragile. The attack on 911 proved that America can be defeated if just a few things go terribly wrong: the stand down of commercial aviation for about one week was sufficient to throw the entire American economy into a tailspin.

An EMP attack would be magnitudes worse than 911. The economy would be thrown into a severe depression within 24 hours. Food riots would break out and martial law declared across the country. Potable water would become scarce and urban areas potential deathtraps.

All radio, television and most means of communication would be out for weeks or months. In one great blow America would be reduced to a Third World nation in a matter of hours.

This nightmare is the dream that NKorea is working hard to achieve.

Terrence Aym is a Salem-News.com Contributor based in Chicago, who is well known nationally for his stirring reports on the top ranked site, helium.com. Born in Minnesota, Terrence Aym grew up in the Chicagoland suburbs. Having traveled to 40 of the 50 states and lived in 7 of them, Aym is no stranger to travel. He's also spent time in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Western Africa. An executive for many years with Wall Street broker-dealer firms, Aym has also had a life-long interest in science, technology, the arts, philosophy and history. If it's still possible to be a 'Renaissance man' in the 21st Century, Aym is working hard to be one.

Aym has several book projects in the works. Media sites that have recently featured Aym, and/or discussed his articles, include ABC News, TIME Magazine, Business Insider, Crunchgear.com, Discover, Dvice, Benzinga and more recently, his work has been showing up in South Africa and Russia.