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Why the US and North Korea postponed World War III. Will the third world war start from Korea? World War III in Korea

The leaders of the United States and North Korea are rapidly raising the stakes in their confrontation, making war all but inevitable. At the same time, China has already announced that it will stand up for the DPRK in the event of an attempt to change the local regime.

In recent days, the situation around North Korea has become so serious that everything else has ceased to matter. The jokes are over. The world is indeed on the verge of the first nuclear war in its history.

I wrote about how recent events developed in several recent reviews. If interested - read. Today, my worst fears about the situation getting out of hand received some more confirmation.

US President Donald Trump tweeted: “The military solution is in full swing. The weapon is loaded and aimed at the target. In case North Korea acts unwisely. I hope Kim Jong Un chooses otherwise."

This was followed by a presidential tweet with photos of American bombers and fighters "ready to take off on a mission tonight." The hint is completely transparent.

Even the US representative to the UN, Nikki Haley, announced that diplomatic methods for resolving the conflict had been exhausted. “We have nothing more to talk about with them,” she wrote on her Twitter.

The only senior member of the Trump administration who seems to understand the consequences of a possible conflict is Secretary of Defense James Mattis: “We are well aware of what wars lead to. One word can describe what is happening - catastrophe.

Washington's menacing rhetoric by no means forced Pyongyang to turn on the back. The North Korean state news agency KCNA accused the US of "criminally trying to destroy the Korean people in a nuclear holocaust" and wanting to "test its weapons on the Koreans." "The United States is the author and inspirer of nuclear war, a country fanatically dreaming of it," North Korean ideologists believe. In response, they promised to turn the US mainland "into a theater of nuclear war."

Before that, let me remind you, Pyongyang accused Trump of losing his mind and, like Nikki Haley, came to the conclusion that no dialogue was possible under the circumstances.

It seems that this is indeed the case: as long as the parties call each other "imperialist beasts" and "crazed communist dictatorship", it will not be easy for them to agree on something sensible. Therefore, the whole world is now trying to understand what the alternative could be. In short, very, very bad.

Plans for a war with North Korea have been drawn up at the Pentagon for decades - at least since the time of Bill Clinton. But in the past week, they've all gone out of date. According to American intelligence, Pyongyang has ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. This significantly complicates any military confrontation with the DPRK.

Now hordes of specialists and experts are trying to figure out "what if?". If, in the event of a war, one such missile reaches the target? What if ten? And if all 60, as some Western analysts believe? It will not work to hide all people in shelters: a nuclear missile flies from Pyongyang to San Francisco in only half an hour. There simply won't be time for a complete evacuation.

In ten millionth Seoul, the same rocket will deliver a nuclear charge in just three minutes. According to preliminary estimates, even in the best case, about 150 thousand people will die in the same second, about 300 thousand more will be maimed and injured, and the rest will rush away from the country. The healthcare system (at least) will immediately be overloaded, wild chaos will begin with unpredictable consequences.

A nuclear explosion over Tokyo, for example, would have even more dire consequences - in addition to the victims and destruction in Japan itself, the entire world economy would also suffer a terrible blow. Now nuclear weapons are scary not only with the actual shock and thermal wave, but also with an electromagnetic pulse that will cut down absolutely all electronics in the affected area. And now the world has become very dependent on her.

This development now seems more and more real. North Korea, realizing that such losses are simply unbearable for the world, continues to escalate. Pyongyang has already announced its intention to launch four medium-range ballistic missiles in the area of the US island of Guam. This is a real spit in the face of the President of the United States. He can hardly bear it.

If these missiles (or warheads) are shot down (or destroyed from the air on the launch pads), North Korea's response could be a massive shelling of Seoul with conventional artillery. Or a missile attack on Japan. Or something else, but ten times more significant. According to James Stavridis, a retired US Admiral of the Navy, "such a development would almost certainly set off an upward spiral of violence that would be almost impossible to control."

In fact, after the North Korean response to the destruction of missiles, the US and its allies will have to decide whether to start a full-fledged war or not. To start means to endanger at least Seoul and Tokyo with a nuclear strike. Donald Trump will not be able to ignore this.

Another way out is to deliver massive preventive strikes against North Korean nuclear facilities, concentrations of troops, equipment, and military administrative centers. But there is no guarantee that everything will be destroyed. Even Trump cannot risk a million-plus city - South Korean, Japanese or American. And this is another opportunity for the DPRK.

By rapidly raising the stakes in its confrontation with the US, North Korea is breaking the unity of the Americans and their Far Eastern allies. Neither Japan nor South Korea wants to be under a nuclear attack because the US cannot tolerate Pyongyang having a nuclear missile capable of reaching the White House. Tokyo and Seoul, in a sense, are used to living with a sense of constant threat, and do not want to suffer because of the sudden appearance in Washington. In South Korea, for example, now they are even more afraid of Trump's actions than Kim's actions.

Under these conditions, most likely, both Tokyo and Seoul will ask the United States to reduce the intensity of the confrontation and not respond to North Korean provocations. Whether Trump will listen to them is a separate question. According to The Washington Post, he is not ready to make any concessions to Kim Jong-un, believing that this would establish "false moral equality" between them.

Perhaps, however, something else will be able to stop the hot American president. Today, China has said its weighty word about everything that is happening. Local state media wrote that the PRC would "maintain neutrality" if North Korean missiles actually flew towards US Guam. However, in the event that the United States and its allies start a war and try to remove the regime of Kim Jong-un, then China "will be obliged to prevent this."

China's involvement in the upcoming war is a completely different reality. The PRC definitely has ballistic nuclear missiles, and if necessary, they will reach the United States without any problems. As, in fact, the American ones - in the opposite direction. But it will no longer be the Second Korean War, but the Third World War.

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Between the irreconcilable enemies - North and South Korea - an aggravation broke out, which has not been remembered for 50 years already. The DPRK's army is even larger in number than the Russian one. And the Russian Federation, and the USA, and China, and Japan can be drawn into the conflict.

BECAUSE OF WHAT CHEESE-BOR

Few people already know: the South Korean corvette Cheonan recently mysteriously died in the Yellow Sea. They say from a torpedo. The US immediately launched a joint submarine interception exercise with South Korean partners, and four North Korean boats mysteriously disappeared. All at once (two seem to have already been found). and Seoul have put their armies on full alert, war cries are being heard on both sides of the border. The restrained Japanese also broke through: we must finally teach the fans of Juche a lesson - how much can you scare us with nuclear weapons? The voice of mighty China is not loud, but clear: solve everything by political methods - our neighbor and almost a younger brother. Russia, as usual, preoccupied with the "increasing tension", very timely started large-scale exercises "Vostok-2010" in the smell of gunpowder in the region. And rightly so: don't forget about it. Here is such a gloomy storyline. So have all the fuses been removed? We tried to make our prediction - how real is the war between the two Koreas and is it possible to draw the United States, Russia and China into it?

GRITTING TEETH NEIGHBORS

The confrontation between the two Koreas - North and South - has a long history. Legally, they are still warring countries: in 1953 it ended only with a ceasefire agreement. Then the South Korean army was defeated in the very first battles, and by September 1950, the northerners occupied more than 90% of the country's territory. Relations between North and South Korea are constantly sparking without a peace treaty. The “small” war of intelligence and special forces on the border along the 38th parallel can at any moment develop into a big war. Military experts have long ranked the Korean Peninsula among the world's most unstable regions. Now let's take a look at what military power the conflicting parties have.

RELATION OF FORCES

North Korea

The armed forces are about 1.5 million fanatical fighters (and there is also a trained reserve - 4.7 million people). In the ground forces: more than 50 tactical missiles, 3200 tanks, 2440 armored personnel carriers, 12.7 thousand artillery pieces, more than 1.1 thousand multiple launch rocket systems, about 2 thousand anti-tank installations, 1820 anti-aircraft anti-aircraft missile systems.

Air Force and Air Defense: 1158 aircraft and helicopters, 11 thousand anti-aircraft guns. An interesting detail: 200 pilots are personally subordinate to Kim Jong Il and are ready to perform tasks of particular importance. These are suicide bombers ... The naval forces of the DPRK: 3 missile ships, 2 destroyers, 18 anti-submarine ships. Combat boats: 40 missile, 134 torpedo and 108 artillery. About 100 submarines. Nuclear missile potential: tactical missiles with a range of 55-70 km, as well as operational-tactical missiles - 300 km, Nodon-1 - 550-600 km and Tephodon - 1500 km. The number of missiles can reach: "Nodon" - 200 and "Scud" - 500. Intercontinental "Tephodon-2" with a range of up to 7000 km are being developed.

South Korea

Armed forces - 672 thousand people. They are trained by US instructors and armed mostly with US weapons. In the ground forces: 2130 tanks, 2490 armored personnel carriers, 4400 guns, 143 combat helicopters. The Air Force is armed with 460 combat aircraft and helicopters, including 195 F-5 and 60 F-16 fighters. The Navy has 9 submarines and 40 surface ships, not counting patrol boats and landing craft. In addition, 2 divisions of the Marine Corps (25 thousand people). Recently, South Korea has begun to buy weapons from Russia (80 T-80 tanks).

WHO WILL TAKE?

As you can see, North Korea has a 2-3-fold superiority in this area. And if we also take into account nuclear weapons, then they are complete. But on the side of South Korea are the Americans, who compensate for this “deficiency” with their military might. Therefore, about the forces that the United States has in this region. 37,000 people are stationed at bases in Korea. with stockpiles of weapons and property. And not far away - in Japan - the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Division (Okinawa) is also deployed.

All in all, 47,000 American military personnel are concentrated at bases in Japan. Plus, the base of the US 7th Fleet is located in Yokosuka. He is able to immediately form and send two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Korean coast. And this is 200 aircraft, 4-6 missile cruisers and up to 10 missile destroyers. And another dozen multi-purpose submarines with Tomahawks. And about 8 missile submarines of the Ohio type can not be mentioned: they are constantly patrolling there.

In addition, we should not forget about Japan itself, which has long been "grinding its teeth" at its dangerous nuclear missile neighbor...

UNPREDICTABLE SCENARIO

Let's try to "calculate" the possible development of events. Until the results of the work of the international commission investigating the causes of the death of the South Korean corvette are not approved, Washington and Seoul have no reason to give a “strong response”. But maneuvering a joint naval force off the North Korean coast could provoke Kim Jong Il's fanatical admirals. And a torpedo or a rocket will go in the direction of the "impudent imperialists". This is where it will start. The Americans and their allies will melt the old North Korean "troughs". But the allies will also get it: the North Koreans know how to fight both on the water and under the water. Their suicide submarines will not go to the bottom without prey. The war will spread to land. American "tomahawks", having flown from a safe distance, will smash the strategic (including nuclear) facilities of North Korea, and paralyze the country's administration. And then the South Korean army will rush into battle: the chance to unite the two Koreas should not be missed. Naval aviation will clear the way for her. And the 3rd US Marine Division will clean up the already captured territory. Further, you can fantasize as much as you like, but still the forceful scenario of the development of events seems to us the least probable. Here, in our opinion, there are several very important reasons. Here they are:

5 REASONS "AGAINST"

1. The United States already has two wars hanging on its feet - in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2. The DPRK army is well trained and will shed a lot of someone else's blood. It is completely impossible to destroy it. The rest of the broken parts will go to the mountains. A long guerrilla war will begin with heavy casualties for the Americans and their allies. Congress will not forgive Obama for this.

3. The government of South Korea, which has long dreamed of a peaceful unification with Pyongyang, is unlikely to agree to "fraternization through war."

4. The Chinese factor: Beijing is unlikely to remain indifferent if the United States unleashes military operations against the DPRK (it only lacked millions of hungry refugees from a neighboring country!).

5. The Russian factor: Moscow, like Beijing, advocates a peaceful settlement of the conflict as a united front. This tandem, most likely, will cool the hot heads of American hawks, who are suffering by force "to end the North Korean regime once and for all."

WHAT IS Pyongyang?

Pyongyang's position is unpredictable. , seems to have decided to balance on the brink of conflict with his sworn enemies. They are trying to corner him. But he is belligerent. After all, the DPRK tested nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States. Therefore, it was stated that isolation (and even more so an economic blockade as a method of punishment) would force North Korea to deliver powerful blows to key targets of the “main enemy” and its supporters. Meanwhile, the presidents of the United States and South Korea signed an agreement on the nuclear protection of southerners from their northern neighbor. Obama added that the United States is not going to tolerate blackmail any longer: "We will make it clear to North Korea that it will not gain respect and ensure its security through threats and illegal weapons." They also want to involve Russia in the creation of an “anti-North Korean front”. But she has her own game on this flank. She doesn't want to quarrel with her neighbor, who, however, dangerously "dabbles" in nuclear weapons. Moscow languidly agrees with Washington, but also nods its head in the direction of Beijing in agreement. How long she will be able to sit on two chairs at once, time will tell. It looks like she is ready to leave the "Great Leader" Kim Jong Il to his own fate...

SO WHAT IS THE RESULT?

Most likely, everything will go along the long-familiar, traditional circle: having exchanged formidable statements and rattling weapons in front of each other, the conflicting parties will find suitable mediators and, gritting their teeth, once again sit down at the negotiating table. Moreover, Pyongyang is not at all up to the war now - it is necessary to save the people from starvation. And then the United States and South Korea will begin to develop another secret plan to overthrow Kim Jong Il not with missiles, but with the hands of the long-cherished and generously paid opposition.

What if there is still a war? Then it will be a war not only with North Korea, but also with China ... Or maybe (pah-pah!), And a world war ...

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What could the current political confrontation between North Korea and the US lead to? I won’t talk about military-technical issues, since Pyongyang is still far from the Pentagon’s capabilities in this matter. But recent missile launches have alerted the White House and carry the potential danger of turning big statements into real war.

In this case, Seoul will get to a greater extent, as a side that does not want such an outcome, and literally prays that it will have time to hobble Kim Jong-un's aspirations before he decides on the forceful unification of Korea and his missiles reach the United States. So far, this is just a war of nerves: who has better endurance and more patience.

North Korea's recent tests of long-range missiles have been unsuccessful, which means that the likelihood of a war involving the United States on the Korean Peninsula is still minimal. US President Donald Trump is unlikely to intervene in a real military conflict over South Korea, but if Pyongyang missiles threaten Honolulu or San Francisco, then the US military response will not be long in coming.

Now, the Americans are using Beijing as an instrument of pressure on Pyongyang, which has its own interests in the region, and not only acts as an intermediary between the DPRK and the United States. There is no doubt that the Chinese will hint to Kim Jong-un that playing the “powerful enemy of the United States” is possible only up to a certain point: you cross and become history. Geopolitical and physical suicide - that's what awaits him.

True, no one can guarantee the mental health of the North Korean leader, therefore, anything can happen. If anyone suffers without guilt, it is Seoul. The Kim dynasty in the DPRK has long cherished plans to unite the country under the control of Pyongyang, so a repeat of the Korean War will not be a hindrance to them. It's up to the little things - for high-quality nuclear weapons!

Much depends now on China. Will Beijing convince the Korean leadership to stop provoking the Americans, or will they have to act harshly? In any unfavorable development of events, South Korea will remain the loser. Whoever launches a missile strike first, North Korea will strike at Seoul, turning it into ruins. Help "sworn friend" - the United States will only be a kind of detonator for the coming destruction.

The world economy will also be dealt a crushing blow through the destruction of interstate economic ties and multi-link production and logistics chains around the world. As Gleb Ivashentsov, a member of the Russian International Affairs Council, points out:

“The world is now tied into a tight knot, and economic ties are so intertwined that it is simply impossible to conduct a “surgically subtle” military operation against one country, even one as small as North Korea. There will be a domino effect instantly.

That is why the leader of the DPRK feels relatively safe, pulling the Americans "by the mustache." Trump is, first and foremost, a businessman who does not want to jeopardize the interests of the American business community. Who knows how hard the war on the Korean Peninsula will hit the global economy? Stability in the US is also in question.

There will certainly be consequences if Pyongyang uses the same chemical weapons, endangering the 28,000 US troops on the peninsula, "hitting" Japanese territories as well. In economic terms, retail chains in the United States will quickly become empty, ceasing to be replenished with goods from East Asian countries. China can come out in support of the DPRK and then the world market will be dealt a blow, really, destructive.

At stake, therefore, is not just the start of a new war with potential victims, but the complete destruction of South Korean infrastructure, the disruption of world trade, the collapse of markets, the involvement of China in the conflict and, possibly, the first combat use of nuclear weapons since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Undoubtedly, the beginning of the war will come around to many. And after all, this can be avoided if the United States stops sticking its nose into other people's affairs.

Between the irreconcilable enemies - North and South Korea - an exacerbation broke out, which has not been remembered for 50 years. The army of the DPRK, by the way, is even larger in number than the Russian one. And the Russian Federation, and the USA, and China, and Japan can be drawn into the conflict.

BECAUSE OF WHAT CHEESE-BOR

In Wu, few people do not know: the South Korean corvette Cheonan recently mysteriously died in the Yellow Sea. They say from a torpedo. The US immediately launched a joint submarine interception exercise with South Korean partners, and four North Korean boats mysteriously disappeared. All at once (two seem to have already been found). Pyongyang and Seoul have put their armies on full alert, and battle cries are being heard on both sides of the border. The restrained Japanese also broke through: we must finally teach the fans of Juche a lesson - how much can you scare us with nuclear weapons? The voice of mighty China is not loud, but clear: decide everything by political methods - Pyongyang is our neighbor and almost a younger brother. Russia, as usual, preoccupied with the "increasing tension", very timely started large-scale exercises "Vostok-2010" in the smell of gunpowder in the region. And rightly so: don't forget about it. Here is such a gloomy storyline. So have all the fuses been removed? We tried to make our prediction - how real is the war between the two Koreas and is it possible to draw the United States, Russia and China into it?

GRITTING TEETH NEIGHBORS

The confrontation between the two Koreas - North and South - has a long history. Legally, they are still warring countries: the Korean War in 1953 ended only with a ceasefire agreement. Then the South Korean army was defeated in the very first battles, and by September 1950, the northerners occupied more than 90% of the country's territory. Relations between North and South Korea are constantly sparking without a peace treaty. The “small” war of intelligence and special forces on the border along the 38th parallel can at any moment develop into a big war. Military experts have long ranked the Korean Peninsula among the world's most unstable regions. Now let's take a look at what military power the conflicting parties have.

RELATION OF FORCES

North Korea

There are about 1.5 million fanatical fighters in the armed forces (and there is also a trained reserve - 4.7 million people). In the ground forces: more than 50 tactical missiles, 3200 tanks, 2440 armored personnel carriers, 12.7 thousand artillery pieces, more than 1.1 thousand multiple launch rocket systems, about 2 thousand anti-tank installations, 1820 anti-aircraft anti-aircraft missile systems.

South Korea

The armed forces - 672 thousand people. They are trained by US instructors and armed mostly with US weapons. In the ground forces: 2130 tanks, 2490 armored personnel carriers, 4400 guns, 143 combat helicopters. The Air Force is armed with 460 combat aircraft and helicopters, including 195 F-5 and 60 F-16 fighters. The Navy has 9 submarines and 40 surface ships, not counting patrol boats and landing craft. In addition, 2 divisions of the Marine Corps (25 thousand people). Recently, South Korea has begun to buy weapons from Russia (80 T-80 tanks).

WHO WILL TAKE?

As you can see, North Korea has a 2-3-fold superiority in this part. And if we also take into account nuclear weapons, then they are complete. But on the side of South Korea are the Americans, who compensate for this “deficiency” with their military might. Therefore, about the forces that the United States has in this region. 37,000 people are stationed at bases in Korea. with stockpiles of weapons and property. And not far away - in Japan - the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Division (Okinawa) is also deployed.

At the same time, 47,000 American military personnel are concentrated at bases in Japan. Plus, the base of the US 7th Fleet is located in Yokosuka. He is able to immediately form and send two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Korean coast. And this is 200 aircraft, 4-6 missile cruisers and up to 10 missile destroyers. And another dozen multi-purpose submarines with Tomahawks. And about 8 missile submarines of the Ohio type can not be mentioned: they are constantly patrolling there.

In addition, we should not forget about Japan itself, which has long been "grinding its teeth" at its dangerous nuclear missile neighbor...

UNPREDICTABLE SCENARIO

We are trying to "calculate" the possible development of events. Until the results of the work of the international commission investigating the causes of the death of the South Korean corvette are not approved, Washington and Seoul have no reason to give a “strong response”. But maneuvering a joint naval force off the North Korean coast could provoke Kim Jong Il's fanatical admirals. And a torpedo or a rocket will go in the direction of the "impudent imperialists". This is where it will start. The Americans and their allies will melt the old North Korean "troughs". But the allies will also get it: the North Koreans know how to fight both on the water and under the water. Their suicide submarines will not go to the bottom without prey. The war will spread to land. American "tomahawks", having flown from a safe distance, will smash the strategic (including nuclear) facilities of North Korea, and paralyze the country's administration. And then the South Korean army will rush into battle: the chance to unite the two Koreas should not be missed. Naval aviation will clear the way for her. And the 3rd US Marine Division will clean up the already captured territory. Further, you can fantasize as much as you like, but still the forceful scenario of the development of events seems to us the least probable. Here, in our opinion, there are several very important reasons. Here they are:

5 REASONS "AGAINST"

one . The United States already has two wars hanging on its feet - in Iraq and Afghanistan.

3 . The South Korean government, which has long dreamed of a peaceful unification with Pyongyang, is unlikely to agree to "fraternization through war."

4 . The Chinese factor: Beijing is unlikely to remain indifferent if the United States unleashes military operations against the DPRK (it only lacked millions of hungry refugees from a neighboring country!).

five . The Russian factor: Moscow, like Beijing, advocates a peaceful settlement of the conflict as a united front. This tandem, most likely, will cool the hot heads of American hawks, who are suffering by force "to end the North Korean regime once and for all."

WHAT IS Pyongyang?

Pyongyang's position is unpredictable. Kim Jong Il seems to have decided to balance on the brink of conflict with his sworn enemies. They are trying to corner him. But he is belligerent. After all, the DPRK tested nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States. Therefore, it was stated that isolation (and even more so an economic blockade as a method of punishment) would force North Korea to deliver powerful blows to key targets of the “main enemy” and its supporters. Meanwhile, the presidents of the United States and South Korea signed an agreement on the nuclear protection of southerners from their northern neighbor. Obama added that the United States is not going to tolerate blackmail any longer: "We will make it clear to North Korea that it will not gain respect and ensure its security through threats and illegal weapons." They also want to involve Russia in the creation of an “anti-North Korean front”. But she has her own game on this flank. She doesn't want to quarrel with her neighbor, who, however, dangerously "dabbles" in nuclear weapons. Moscow languidly agrees with Washington, but also nods its head in the direction of Beijing in agreement. How long she will be able to sit on two chairs at once, time will tell. It looks like she is ready to leave the "Great Leader" Kim Jong Il to his own fate...

SO WHAT IS THE RESULT?

Most likely, everything will follow the long-familiar, traditional circle: having exchanged formidable statements and rattling weapons in front of each other, the conflicting parties will find suitable mediators and, gritting their teeth, once again sit down at the negotiating table. Moreover, Pyongyang is not at all up to the war now - it is necessary to save the people from starvation. And then the United States and South Korea will begin to develop another secret plan to overthrow Kim Jong Il not with missiles, but with the hands of the long-cherished and generously paid opposition.

What threatens the world with the conflict between the two Koreas

P henyang and Seoul ate the dog in quarrels between themselves, as they say. But on November 23, for the first time since the 1953 armistice, the DPRK and South Korea exchanged powerful artillery shelling.

The current turmoil happened in the area of the maritime border between the two countries in the Yellow Sea, 80 km from the South Korean port of Incheon. Seoul conducted maneuvers of its navy there, codenamed "Hoguk", and, according to North Korea, the ships of the southerners fired on the waters belonging to the DPRK. This has happened before on both sides: fire was fired on desert waters. But this time, Pyongyang decided to respond in earnest. And on Tuesday, in the afternoon, North Korean artillery bombarded the South Korean island of Yeonpyeongdo (Yonbendo), located in this area.

The fire covered the local military base and the houses of civilians. According to preliminary data, four people were killed and dozens were injured. About 79 buildings have been destroyed, fires are blazing everywhere on the island.

South Korean howitzers returned fire on the shores of the DPRK. Nothing is known about its results - Pyongyang, as usual, is silent. Seoul sent its fighters to the maritime border area, but they never took part in the hostilities. The South Korean government, describing the incident as a "deliberate and planned attack", gathered for an emergency meeting in an underground bunker.

Both countries brought their troops to full combat readiness. The world is alarmed that if the conflict escalates, it could affect US troops stationed in South Korea. Pyongyang traditionally counts on China's help. Are we on the verge of a new world war?

In other matters, later reports came from Seoul that the Republic of Korea was not going to appeal to the UN with a demand for an urgent convening of the Security Council. Perhaps this is due to the fact that yesterday the South Korean side admitted through gritted teeth that it was indeed the first to open fire during naval exercises in the disputed area. True, in Seoul they claim that they fired not to the north (towards the DPRK), but to the west. But now you can’t prove where the shells flew - there are no funnels left in the sea.

Russian Foreign Ministry asks for restraint

“Moscow received with deep concern reports of an artillery exchange of fire between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea in the Yellow Sea on November 23, which resulted in human casualties,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. - The Russian side resolutely condemns any manifestations of force in relations between states and proceeds from the fact that all existing disputable issues should be resolved exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means.

We urge both Korean parties to exercise restraint, take a responsible approach and prevent actions that could lead to an escalation of military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.”

History of inter-Korean confrontation

Until 1945, the Korean Peninsula was a de facto colony of Japan. The northern part of Korea was liberated by Soviet troops, and the part south of the 38th parallel was occupied by the Americans. In 1948, both parts of the peninsula declared themselves states - the pro-Soviet North Korea and the pro-American Republic of Korea.

Already on June 25, 1950, an armed conflict began between them: the leader of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, with the support of Stalin, decided to "reunite" the country. In response, the US pushed through the UN to send "international forces" to help South Korea. Later, up to 1 million Chinese "volunteers" and several thousand "military advisers" from the USSR fought on the North Korean side. The armistice was signed in 1953, the peace treaty has not been concluded so far.

Armed clashes between the Koreas periodically flared up again. But the confrontation has become especially aggravated this year. In January there was an exchange of artillery salvos in the area of the Yellow Sea. In March, an explosion sank the South Korean corvette Cheonan, killing 46 people. Seoul blamed North Korea for the incident.

North Korea announced on the eve of its victory over the United States in a "political and military confrontation." Military columnist Alexander Zhilin told whether this threatens to start a real world war.

The victory of the DPRK over the United States is mentioned in a written statement of the country's permanent mission to the UN, which was distributed in connection with a meeting in the Security Council on the situation of human rights in North Korea.

The statement said that the United States will not be able to intimidate the DPRK, and Pyongyang regards the meeting on human rights in North Korea as "an act of desperation by hostile forces that have lost in the political and military confrontation with the DPRK, which has openly become a nuclear power."

In the coming years, several more countries will declare that they have nuclear weapons.

According to Alexander Zhilin, North Korea's statement about victory over the United States is completely true.

“The entire long-term US campaign aimed at preventing the appearance of nuclear weapons in the DPRK has failed. And all because American foreign policy for many years only stimulated Pyongyang to work on the creation of nuclear weapons. Washington destroyed countries, overthrew the leaders of these countries, hung Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi simply tore to pieces. All this became an incentive to possess weapons for retribution. And not only for North Korea, but also for other countries. I am sure that in the next 5-10 years several more countries will declare that they have nuclear weapons,” the source said. Federal News Agency.

Alexander Zhilin recalled that today the DPRK not only has the ability to defend itself, but also demonstrates carriers to the whole world.

“You can have a nuclear bomb, but not have carriers. In that case, it's useless. And Pyongyang has demonstrated that it has a ballistic missile that will deliver a nuclear weapon to any point on US soil. It is very important. And these are the consequences of the threats that were made against the DPRK by Trump, Obama and previous American leaders, ”the military observer emphasized.

Whoever starts first will answer.

Alexander Zhilin also recalled China's reaction to the aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

“China responded with one line: “The one who starts first will answer.” And that's it, and Trump, who at first threatened to break Pyongyang, suddenly deflated. What will Washington say after North Korea's current statement about victory over the United States? I think hysterics will begin, there will be a lot of stupid statements, insults and so on. They, like sanctions, do not frighten the DPRK. As they say, did not live well and will not start. But they have a spirit, they have an idea,” the expert said.

According to Alexander Zhilin, Russia and China will continue to condemn the actions and statements of the DPRK.

“That's what diplomacy is for. We will express dissatisfaction and limit ourselves to this. This is politics, ”the military observer believes.

World War III has already begun. And not at all with the DPRK

When asked whether the confrontation between the DPRK and the United States could turn into World War III, Alexander Zhilin answered this way:

“The third world war is already underway, it’s just not the same as the previous ones. I didn’t say this, the Pope said this back in 2012. And the intelligence of the Vatican, let me remind you, is the best in the world. This is first. Secondly, a war in the hot phase will not start with North Korea if it is not provoked. See how Trump set fire to the Middle East, and what is happening in Israel and Palestine after his statement about Jerusalem. And for some reason everyone points to the DPRK. Maybe to distract? Maybe it's such a big game? Therefore, Russia is strengthening its position in the Middle East region. You see, we announced victory over the terrorists in Syria, the US bet on them failed, and everything seems to be curtailed, but then Trump staged a new provocation, and everything flared up again.