Does Crazy N. Koreans' Nuke Missile Threaten B.C.?

[Spocky]

The crazy North Koreans and their handbuilt missiles now claim that they can hit the mainland US. Since their technology is of the stone axe variety, take a quick look at a map and you'll see that if they overshoot the Alaskan panhandle or undershoot Washington State we're looking at a big mushroom surprise.

No...

... but it's interesting that I have perused the B.C. news sites and haven't seen this issue addressed at all. Yeah, I know... their missiles usually fail and fall into the sea but they might get lucky at some point and that could mean that we might end up taking the hit intended for the Americans.

[Liquidnails]

I don't think it's that much of an issue. BC is so sparsely populated that all odds point to an errant missile landing in the mountains or in the forest.

[Spocky]

I don't think it's that much of an issue. BC is so sparsely populated that all odds point to an errant missile landing in the mountains or in the forest.

I'm not trying to be a fear-monger but the type of nuke tech they're using is exceptionally dirty and the fallout could be extreme. Even if it hit, say, at Coq Summit, with the prevailing westerly winds the Okanagan could be uninhabitable within a few days. Again, I think that the odds are very small that they'd even be able to get the launch off since they're so generally inept and backwards, but weird things that are stranger than fiction have a habit of happening. Superimpose the Okanagan and Coq Summit on this map and you'll see what I mean:



EDITED TO CORRECT MT ... the rumored "high level" nuke test they're doing next is rumored to be significantly greater than what they've achieved so far but would be far less than the 15MT of Castle Bravo. Still it's worrysome!

[LANDM]

Yeah, they are going to be targeting the apple industry in Wenatchee, Washington and accidentally hit the Coq summit.

There are quite a few target rich areas in California so I wouldn't worry too much about us.

[Dash5]

Yeah, they are going to be targeting the apple industry in Wenatchee, Washington and accidentally hit the Coq summit.

There are quite a few target rich areas in California so I wouldn't worry too much about us.

It's irrelevant what they are targetting, what matters is what they might hit. This thread isn't about Russian or Chinese nukes it's about North Korean nukes. Hitting anywhere on North American soil would be a huge propaganda vicorty for them. Not that I'm losing any sleep worrying about this scenario.

ETA: Not really sure how this is a specifically Kelowna issue however.

[SurplusElect]

DPRK launches one missile and their whole country is vaporized within 5 minutes. Good thing they have been suffering and toiling these last 60 years to hang onto their country, just to throw it all away to be crazy murderers "for kicks".

Good plan.

What a joke. Use your head people. DPRK has a nuke(s) so they are not invaded. It's insurance.

[albertabound]

*off-topic/Jo*

[Spocky]

Yeah, they are going to be targeting the apple industry in Wenatchee, Washington and accidentally hit the Coq summit.

There are quite a few target rich areas in California so I wouldn't worry too much about us.

It's clear that you're not properly reading the original post. If you track the shortest air trajectory from N. Korea to the nearest point to the lower 48 (so they can claim that they actually hit it) southern BC is right smack dab of it. They come up a couple of hundred miles short and WHOOPS. Their missiles are handbuilt and utilize the advanced technology of a Commodore 64, so they're far more likely to land short than hit their target.

Yes, it's not an exclusively Kelowna issue, and the North Koreans have been tossing around empty threats for years so I'm certainly not expecting to move to Newfoundland to get out of the way. Still, crazy people have a habit of doing crazy things and the primary intent of this thread is why none of the BC media have even as much as mentioned this.

[SurplusElect]

the primary intent of this thread is why none of the BC media have even as much as mentioned this.

They haven't mentioned it because they are not a threat.

Think logically. DPRK launches and they loose their country/leadership and the states dances on their graves and turns North Korea into Disneyworld Korea for spite.

So Seattle might be gone, but who will know about it? It ensures a US victory.

[Bsuds]

So much for the claim that Canadian media has not covered this.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/

[Dash5]

DPRK launches one missile and their whole country is vaporized within 5 minutes. Good thing they have been suffering and toiling these last 60 years to hang onto their country, just to throw it all away to be crazy murderers "for kicks".

Good plan.

What a joke. Use your head people. DPRK has a nuke(s) so they are not invaded. It's insurance.

Yes, because the leadership of North Korea has an excellent track record of sane and completely rational policies and actions! The policy of MAD has been shown to work well between super-powers for decades however it simply does not apply to rogue regimes.

Also, I believe you are seriously delusional if you think for 1 minute that the US would be able to vaporize North Korea within 5 minutes of a North Korean missile launch.

Firstly any North Korean missiles capable of hitting North America would be more symbolic than anything. Sure, symbolic or not if it lands anywhere near you it's not going to be a good day but the reality is that it's not like the US has to worry about being annihilated by a North Korean missile attack.

Secondly, given the geographical location of North Korea, right smack dab in between 2 key US allies (Japan and South Korea) and 2 nuclear super-powers (Russia and China), I don't see the US being either willing or able to commit to retaliating with a full scale nuclear attack that would be required to "vaporize" North Korea. If they did you can bet that China and/or Russia would likely return the favour and that would pretty much be it.

Now, again, having said all that I still do not believe a North Korean missile attack is something we need to be cowering in fear of by any means and like I said previously I won't be losing any sleep over worrying about such a possibility.

[Bsuds]

Also, I believe you are seriously delusional if you think for 1 minute that the US would be able to vaporize North Korea within 5 minutes of a North Korean missile launch.

I do believe that 1 US Nuclear capable Submarine could more than take care of North Korea if it had to.

I would hope/doubt it will ever come down to that.

[Dash5]

Also, I believe you are seriously delusional if you think for 1 minute that the US would be able to vaporize North Korea within 5 minutes of a North Korean missile launch.

I do believe that 1 US Nuclear capable Submarine could more than take care of North Korea if it had to.

I would hope/doubt it will ever come down to that.

I thought it was pretty obvious that I wasn't referring to the actual physical capability to "vaporize" North Korea when I made the statement above. Of course they have the firepower and physical ability.

My point was that unlike rogue states like North Korea and potentially Iran the US would most certainly consider the consequences of a full scale nuclear response as that would undoubtedly draw in the Russians and/or the Chinese as it would be right in their own backyard. Therefore while the US has the physical ability to wipe North Korea off the planet with the push of a button the chances of that ever happening in response to a North Korean missile launch is next to zero. That said, if such a North Korean attack ever did happen you can bet the US response would be swift and massive for sure but it would also have to be limited and it would most certainly be conventional.

[SurplusElect]

That said, if such a North Korean attack ever did happen you can bet the US response would be swift and massive for sure but it would also have to be limited and it would most certainly be conventional.

The DPRK manage to shoot off a single missile which may or may not work and has no chance of even scratching the US powerhold on the world.

For their efforts, their loose their entire country as it's invaded and bombed to dust. China would not "back them up", neither would anyone in the world. Unprovoked nuclear attack is not a good way to make friends. Infact, China wouldn't want all the refugees flooding into their country so they would probably join in on the hostilities.

If they don't launch their nukes, they don't get invaded , they get to poke the US in the ribs once a month and make the US look bad.

Hmmm.

[Dash5]

The DPRK manage to shoot off a single missile which may or may not work and has no chance of even scratching the US powerhold on the world.

For their efforts, their loose their entire country as it's invaded and bombed to dust. China would not "back them up", neither would anyone in the world. Unprovoked nuclear attack is not a good way to make friends. Infact, China wouldn't want all the refugees flooding into their country so they would probably join in on the hostilities.

I agree completely with your first comment, and that is why I said that any potential North Korean missile attack would be symbolic at best.

I would agree with your second paragraph also IF we were talking about any 1st world nuclear power but I would be less certain when discussing North Korea. I'm not suggesting by any means that an attack from North Korea (or any other nuclear power for that matter) is imminent (or even likely), and in reality I believe the chances of it happening are extremely remote as best hence my previous comments about not losing any sleep over it.

As for China's (and/or Russia's) response to a full-scale US nuclear retaliation against North Korea, I think you'd be naive to think that they would tolerate such an attack right in their own backyard!

The state of the US and world economies however are a far greater threat to us than missile attacks from North Korea.