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Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen
How can you be a provocateur when someone has already shot at you? I think it's a smart move; North Korea is counting on the South to escalate through military means so they can say 'See! See! I told you so! They're militant!'. South Korea is taking a completely non-threatening approach to confrontation, and that's pretty slick of them.
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Originally Posted by Castout
It's akin to simply refusing to talk to your neighbor because that neighbor robbed and bloodied you
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Let me repharse that it's akin to simply making faces to your neighbor because that neighbor robbed and bloodied you.
Umm obviously that people in power in South Korea are holding a grudge towards North recent actions and that is understandable. South Korea military retaliation if done immediately would't be viewed by international community as South Korea aggression towards North. North may try to say otherwise but who's going to be fooled? Nobody!
But that's not the reason with South reluctance to retaliate militarily when they are provoked militarily. The reason is that they are enjoying vast economic progress and wouldn't want to see it hurt by risking a war with the North. AND that the US may be seen as being very reluctant in supporting war eventuality between North and South Korea because of recent commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan and the current budget & debt crisis.
Knowing this reluctance, North will in time be gambling on it again to gain either concessions or boost domestic support.
The question when and if that eventuality happens is what's the South going to do next?
Diplomatic protest and flying in more leaflets? or Retaliate militarily and risk war?
War could happen simply because one side is gambling that the other wouldn't risk it and they were afterward proven wrong.