North Korean Military Rundown by Former ROK Retired Lt. General

South Korean Retired Army Lieutenant General Chun, In-bum

LONDON — A distinguished former South Korean Army Lieutenant General and now retired Chun, In-bum is warning that a U.S. attack on North Korea would be met by well-armed soldiers who would fight with religious fervor to defend their homeland.

His words were directed to a group of journalists and North Korea policy experts at a think tank in central London recently wherein he said:  “I try to explain to the Americans that if we have to go into North Korea, it is not going to be like going into Iraq or Afghanistan. It’s not going to be like toppling ex-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. This would be more like trying to get rid of Allah (Arabic word for God). I said to my team: Can you imagine what that would look like? Kim, Jong-Un and his family is a cult in North Korea.”

Background on the Kim dynasty: That one family has ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948. Each of its three leaders: First and Founder Kim, Il-Sung, then Kim, Jong-Il, and now the son and grandson of those two, Kim, Jong-Un.  He has inspired an intense, devotional following that has kept them in power all these years.

Some of Chun’s specific points – worth committing to memory follow:

Chun’s background: Chun is also a former national security adviser to South Korea's President Moon Jae-in when he was running for office. He first gained prominence in South Korea in 1983 as a young lieutenant when he was credited with saving the life of a senior South Korean general during a terrorist bombing in Burma. Later, he became one of the most senior contact points for U.S. military commanders in South Korea. He said:  “I have had the opportunity to speak to North Korean soldiers who have defected to South Korea — and you cannot imagine how indoctrinated they are. These are people who have defected, and yet there is still an innate belief in their system which is close to ridiculous.”

Chun said that over the course of his military career he had become convinced that “If you want peace, the only proven lesson is you must prepare for war.” 

(I note: That quote is from the Roman General Vegetius, whose full name was “Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus” — the phrase in Latin is: “Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.”)

“Yes, there is a military option for North Korea. But it’s like having a toothache and having to pull out all of your teeth. It should be the last option — and heaven forbid we have to use it,” Chun concluded.

Specific highlights from Chun’s presentation:

— The majority of its military infrastructure is deep underground, a reaction to the massive bombing of the North by U.S. forces during the Korean War, which ended in 1953.

— From the age of 14, every North Korean is given 100 hours of training each year in how to shoot a weapon, fire a RPG, throw a grenade, pitch a tent, and other survival skills. North Korea is militarized far beyond the West's imagination.

— While the North Korean air force is significantly outdated, with approximately 1,000 old fighter jets, these would not be used for air combat, but for kamikaze-style attacks (mostly on Seoul). The North would load them with a lot of fuel, some bombs, and tell the pilot, “That is your target and you need to destroy it.” It would magnify the U.S. 9/11 attacks on a grand scale.

— The regime has chemical and biological weapons at between 2,500 and 5,000 tons.

— It has artillery and rockets that directly threaten the capital city of Seoul, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world with a population of 25 million people. 

— North Korea has 1.3 million active members of the military and 7.7 million reserves. It has 200,000 Special Forces whose official name translates as “monkey units,” a reference to being a “doped-up disrupting role they would play.”

— In the event of a foreign attack or invasion, North Koreans would stay loyal to Kim, Jong-un in the immediate term. They have a system where five to 10 families are organized into a group, and if a single person from that group misbehaves the entire five or 10 families go to the gulag or are executed. So everybody spies on everybody else. It is a great mechanism for keeping people under control. 

He gave his assessment of the threats facing Seoul and Washington amid reports, including in The Wall Street Journal, that despite an apparent easing in tensions this week after the first talks between North and South Korea in two years, President Trump's administration is still teetering between launching a preemptive strike on Pyongyang over its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and holding out for diplomacy.

For example: North Korea has agreed to send a delegation to next month’s Winter Olympics in the South and hold military talks aimed at easing front line animosities. Still, Chun said Pyongyang was ready for war and was like “one huge barracks.”

Chun also said North Korea's latest missile test, in November last year, indicated that its intercontinental ballistic missiles were capable of striking the U.S. mainland, including Washington, DC adding: “But that’s assuming it only has a 150 kg warhead," Chun said. "If it had a 500 kg warhead — which is what we think it would need to have nuclear capability — it probably would not reach the capital.”

Chun concluded his presentation with this: “The North Koreans do not really have that nuclear capability, and this is where the window still exists for them to cease. If they want to broker a deal with the Americans, they need to do it now.”

My 2 cents worth: I agree with Gen. Chun’s assessment and being a student of Korea myself for over 50 years that included 20 years of active duty military and then DOD duty there and a master of the Korean language (one-year of study at DLI Monterey California in 1967-68, and shortly before my 2nd VN combat tour).

I feel very sure and competent enough to discuss all aspects of North Korea and what I see as an  outcome should war break out there. It would be a disaster on the scale of WWII, perhaps even worse. Time will tell in that regard, and as I’ve said before many times, talk does not hurt as much as nukes.

Finally, Trump talks about how great a deal maker he is – well now is the time to prove it. Either he puts up or shuts up and stops the belligerent back and forth with Kim, Jung-Un. 

Trump and Kim are clashing and lashing out at each other like bullies seeking ownership of the playground but on a more serious platform. Their actions now almost on a daily basis is dangerous to the entire planet and to mankind in general overall — 100% stay tuned.

And, as usual, thanks for stopping by.