Saturday, April 5, 2014

The Weird Wartech Of The Korean Conflict

Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Smoke Rings, Mystery Backpacks And Gun-Toting Robots: The Weird Wartech Of The Korean Conflict -- Daily Beast

The six decade long standoff on the Korean peninsula has spawned an offbeat arsenal on both sides of the DMZ.

This week’s faux artillery duel between North and South Korea, in which both bombarded empty patches of water, highlighted the at times oddball confrontation between North and South Korea.

The North, after warning the U.S. and South Korea to cancel their planned amphibious exercises, registered displeasure by bombarding an empty patch of ocean, just south of the border. The South responded in kind by bombarding an equally lonely patch of ocean, just north of the border. And that was the end of it.

In the 61 years since the ceasefire, North and South Korea have gone their separate ways. North Korea has become impoverished, with an economy 1/35th of New York City’s and a bloated, slowly crumbling military. South Korea has grown to become the 15th largest economy in the world but is facing a declining population.

In response to these trends, the geography, history, and present political situation, both countries have developed homemade, sometimes offbeat weapons.

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My Comment: The nuclear backpacks is what caught my attention.

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