• About
    • Mission
    • Biographical Information
    • Contact Us
  • Defense
  • Energy
  • Logistics
  • Innovation
  • In the News
  • Follow
  • Like
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
September 30, 2009November 12, 2013Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D.

← Back
← Previous Post
Next Post →

Korea: Kim Calling The Shots, So U.S. Forces Dig In

September 30, 2009November 12, 2013Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D.

Gen. “Skip” Sharp looks across the demilitarized zone daily in his job as top commander of UN forces in Korea.

Here’s his take on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il. “He is in charge,” Sharp told a group of defense writers in Washington on Tuesday. Although he has some paralysis in one arm and has lost weight, he’s out in public frequently. Kim Jong-Il appears to be in decent health, and better off than last year. In Sharp’s view, North Korea’s recent actions both bad and good prove it is Kim Jong-Il’s hand on the lever. From the Taepo Dong missiles to the decision to release two journalists to envoy Bill Clinton, only Kim Jong-Il himself could be making those decisions, Sharp said.

Kim Jong-Il has to convince the impoverished North Korean people they face an existential threat and that their military is powerful enough to counter it. Hence the missile shots and the nuclear program.

“It has greatly united the rest of the world against him,” according to Sharp.

Meanwhile the U.S. is digging in – literally. About 28,000 U.S. ground forces will stay in Korea and the Army is following the Air Force in urging soldiers to bring their families for three year tours. Construction projects are building new family housing and schools. Clearly the U.S. expects to be in Korea for a long time to come.

Print | PDF | EMail

Find Archived Articles:

This entry was posted in Early Warning Blog. Bookmark the permalink.
Sign Up For
LexNext Emails
1600 Wilson Boulevard - Suite 203
Arlington, VA 22209 USA
Phone: 703.522.5828
Fax: 703.522.5837
© 2023 Lexington Institute

Sign Up for LexNext Emails

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign Up for LexNext Emails

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.