The correct answer is no, we're not on the brink of war with North Korea. It is more saber rattling from the nutcase father and son duo that are apparently jointly running that insane asylum.
But their provocations are making war more likely if any other demonstrations by North Korea are forthcoming:
South Korea appears to be preparing for the possibility of more acts of aggression, with government officials announcing that they would change their rules of engagement. Previously, those had been designed to stop a conflict from escalating, but they are being altered to make it easier for South Korean forces to respond to any further "provocations," reports The Chosunilbo. "This type of provocation [by North Korea] can happen again at any time. We must strengthen our alert, especially in the West Sea area," the article quoted President Lee Myung-bak as stating. "Vulnerable areas like the five West Sea islands must be thoroughly prepared with the latest equipment to counter localized provocations and asymmetric warfare threats."
Although many South Koreans doubt that the recent attack will lead to a larger conflict, there has been mounting criticism that Seoul's response was not strong enough. On Thursday, the country's Defense minister resigned, and was replaced by a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Kim Kwan-jin.
Hundreds of South Koreans also demonstrated in the border town of Paju, saying that their government was "being too weak," reports the Guardian. President Lee had vowed a strong response to any attack after an investigation found that the North was responsible for the sinking of the South Korean Navy vessel the Cheonan in March.
Both the US and the South Koreans are trying to project a facade of firmness while maintaining a calm demeanor. This is the correct strategy. Rattling sabers back at the NoKo's wouldn't solve anything and may send the wrong signal to the paranoids running that country.
The worry I've seen expressed by some analysts is that the succession of Kim's son is not going as well as Dear Leader might have hoped - especially with the military - and that if Kim thinks the only way to insure his son taking over is to unite the country and the military in war, then all bets are off and anything becomes possible.
But we're not at that point yet. If there is a clock ticking in Pyongyang on Kim's life, there doesn't appear to be any outward manifestation of it. The question is will we get a hint at all if the end is near for Kim?
Pyongang
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