North Korea condemns ‘grave’ use of flag during U.S.-South Korea war games

By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News

North Korea publicly condemned the use of its flag by U.S. and South Korean forces during a war simulation as a "grave" provocation—and further justification for its nuclear program.

"It is an extremely grave military action and politically-motivated provocation to fire live bullets and shells at the flag of a sovereign state without a declaration of war," the North Korean foreign ministry said in a statement on state-run media on Sunday.

Approximately 2,000 U.S. and South Korean troops took part in Friday's simulation, according to Agence France-Presse—the "largest single-day joint live-fire exercise," timed to mark the 62nd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. The joint military drills took place at a training field in Pocheon, South Korea, near the North Korean border. U.S. and South Korean forces are also staging a three-day naval drill in the Yellow Sea.

North Korea said the drills are evidence of U.S. hostility and justify North Korea's nuclear buildup. The country "will further bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense as long as the U.S., the world's biggest nuclear weapons state, persists in its hostile policy," a foreign ministry spokesman said, according to The Associated Press.

South Korea, which said it was the first time North Korea's flag was used during war games, was unapologetic.

"We used it to show our determination to strongly respond to any provocations by North Korea," a South Korean spokesman told AFP.


So what do you guys think? I couldnt get the picture of the N Korean flag being used as a target, but its on the link above. Do you think this was a provocation by us? Or not? Should we have done this?

North Korea considers South Korea and the US's existence as a provocation. This is the same nation that has shelled South Korean villages without clear reason.

All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

Marconius wrote:All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

I've seen footage on the nightly news of people in other nations doing all kinds of shameful things to the US flag. Do I want to declare war on them for it? No, just because they're douches doesn't justify jingoistic rhetoric.

Bryant wrote:

Marconius wrote:All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

I've seen footage on the nightly news of people in other nations doing all kinds of shameful things to the US flag. Do I want to declare war on them for it? No, just because they're douches doesn't justify jingoistic rhetoric.

Individual people using a flag in a manner of protest, at least to me, is a far cry different than government sanctioned use of a flag for the simulation of "the enemy

Marconius wrote:All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

Probably too hungry to care. I hear their people are having to resort to eating grass to survive.

Marconius wrote:
Individual people using a flag in a manner of protest, at least to me, is a far cry different than government sanctioned use of a flag for the simulation of "the enemy"

Well, it's a war game with South Korea and the US, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who "the enemy" is going to be. Who are they practising to defend against, Iran maybe? Don't think so. Is like during the Cold War, any exercises they had then had the bad guys as the "red" team.... North Korea are just using an excuse to bitch and to try to distract their own people from how shit life is there.

Yep. When I was in the Navy we used to play war games and the Ruskies were always the bad guys. (Although once my ship did get attacked by a yellow submarine. Dunno what that was about).

Marconius wrote:

Bryant wrote:

Marconius wrote:All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

I've seen footage on the nightly news of people in other nations doing all kinds of shameful things to the US flag. Do I want to declare war on them for it? No, just because they're douches doesn't justify jingoistic rhetoric.

Individual people using a flag in a manner of protest, at least to me, is a far cry different than government sanctioned use of a flag for the simulation of "the enemy

I see your distinction.

That said, is North Korea not the enemy? Do they not periodically attack their cousins to the south? Are they not still at war?

Dennis324 wrote:(Although once my ship did get attacked by a yellow submarine. Dunno what that was about).

Was it commanded by Sgt. Pepper?

Bryant wrote:

Marconius wrote:

Bryant wrote:

Marconius wrote:All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

I've seen footage on the nightly news of people in other nations doing all kinds of shameful things to the US flag. Do I want to declare war on them for it? No, just because they're douches doesn't justify jingoistic rhetoric.

Individual people using a flag in a manner of protest, at least to me, is a far cry different than government sanctioned use of a flag for the simulation of "the enemy

I see your distinction.

That said, is North Korea not the enemy? Do they not periodically attack their cousins to the south? Are they not still at war?

Yes to all, but if the tensions ever are to end, how is that helping??? I mean yeah, this is trivia compared to some of the things the North does, but this is like two kids on the playground trying to justify the dumb shit they did to each other. Someone, anyone has to be the "bigger and better man". I'd like to think it would be us. If your fine with business as usual then more power to you, but don't expect anything to change soon.

Marconius wrote:

Bryant wrote:

Marconius wrote:

Bryant wrote:

Marconius wrote:All of N Korea's dickishness aside, put yourself in their shoes. How would we feel???

I've seen footage on the nightly news of people in other nations doing all kinds of shameful things to the US flag. Do I want to declare war on them for it? No, just because they're douches doesn't justify jingoistic rhetoric.

Individual people using a flag in a manner of protest, at least to me, is a far cry different than government sanctioned use of a flag for the simulation of "the enemy

I see your distinction.

That said, is North Korea not the enemy? Do they not periodically attack their cousins to the south? Are they not still at war?

Yes to all, but if the tensions ever are to end, how is that helping??? I mean yeah, this is trivia compared to some of the things the North does, but this is like two kids on the playground trying to justify the dumb shit they did to each other. Someone, anyone has to be the "bigger and better man". I'd like to think it would be us. If your fine with business as usual then more power to you, but don't expect anything to change soon.

I don't think anything is going to change unless a) we withdraw military support for S. Korea, b) the N. Koreans rise up and over throw their government, or c) NATO goes in and takes out the N. Korean government and reunites the peninsula. I think the former would be disastrous and would constitute a great crime against civilization (the last thing the world needs is a country so advanced as S. Korea being snuffed out by a nation as belligerent as N. Korea) and I don't foresee the people of N. Korea even being able to make much of a stand against Pyongyang. I think eventually N. Korea is going to overstep its boundary (kill some American soldiers patrolling the DMZ, kill too many S. Korean or Japanese civilians, etc), and when NATO retaliates China isn't going to be there to save the north's ass this time.

Miles1 wrote:

Dennis324 wrote:(Although once my ship did get attacked by a yellow submarine. Dunno what that was about).

Was it commanded by Sgt. Pepper?

Yeah, it was probably some country that legalized pot and were seeing 'Blue Meanies' everywhere. Lol!