SoKo holds missile drill--just in case

South Korea's military held a drill in response to the North's latest nuclear test in which Pyongyang claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb--experts are not denying that claim.

The South Korean military held a live-fire training exercise aimed at North Korea's nuclear testing site. Long-range air-to-ground and surface-to-surface missiles reportedly hit their targets in the Sea of Japan.

On Sunday, North Korea said they successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb which may have triggered an earthquake.

Defense Secretary James Mattis made it clear that any threats by North Korea to the U.S., our allies or our territories would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" military response, and he alluded to the possibility of North Korea's total annihilation if necessary. His words in were " . . . we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country . . . but . . . we have many options to do so."

If Saturday's test is confirmed, it would be the sixth test since President Trump was inaugurated, and seven is a charm.


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Kim fires another projectile toward Japan

According to South Korea, their neighbors in the north fired a new projectile off its east coast Monday that evidently landed in the Sea of Japan. No Japanese were hurt in this, the latest of likely test-launching of a ballistic missile, but that doesn't mean they're not planning something in the future.

A statement by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch occurred near the North Korean coastal town of Wonsan, but they did not identify the type of projectile fired or whether it was successful.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the projectile is believed to be a ballistic missile, but did not cite a source for that information. They are still analyzing exactly what it was the North launched.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, the Japanese government's chief Cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the projectile may have splashed down in Japan's "exclusive economic zone" in the Sea of Japan, stating that there had been "no damage to vessels and aircraft in the area."

Thanks to former President Clinton, North Korea is a few more years away from its goal of being able to target a U.S. mainland city with a nuclear ICBM, but they are getting closer day by day.

And you cannot put the genie back in the bottle if Kim goes nuclear.

This is our biggest foreign policy challenge both to the new leaders in Washington and Seoul.

Making it hard to guess where he stands, President Trump has both praised and warned North Korea but his administration is still trying to solidify a policy to deal with their nuclear ambitions--perhaps by a doing a dramatic demonstration (heaven forbid).

The new liberal president in Seoul, Moon Jae-in, has signaled that  he will be more flexible in expanding civilian exchange with the North, which sounds good on paper, but is probably a very stupid thing to do.

Many analysts say Moon will probably not push for any rapprochement projects because the North has gone too far in its nuclear program.

But who knows--he's a liberal and they think with their hearts, which have no brains.

Moon has begun steps toward engaging Kim by restarting stalled civilian aid and exchange programs in order to improve strained ties. He has even said recently that the South will allow a civic group to contact the North about potentially helping in the treatment of malaria, the first government approval on cross-border civilian exchanges since January 2016.

If this can go forward, fewer North Koreans will die of malaria which should leave more of them alive to die of starvation.


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DEVELOPING: North Korea launch another ballistic missile

(Photo: Screen grab Fox News)

Those crazy North Korean chowder heads are at it again, launching a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan just hours after the UN Security Council, chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, met to discuss strategies to deal with the hermit nation.

The missile is believed to be a KN-17, a former liquid fuel Scud missile believed to being tested to target ships at sea. It was launched from Pukchang.

U.S. Pacific Command said the missile never actually made it to the Sea of Japan as it broke up over the sea.

Apparently, we are now at a point where we will learn just how far China will be willing to go over the sanctioning of North Korea.

At the very least, we need China to get Pyongyang to put a freeze on their nuclear program.

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