Will North Korea start a war?

[Barnsley]

You can't even imagine how many times they did this while I was living in Seoul. South Koreans are constantly on alert just in case, but nobody believes anything can happens. North Korea attacks == that will be the end of North Korea right away, and North Koreans understand it clearly. The only question is how much mess they leave behind before they go down.

There is a guy on my football teams forum who lives in Seoul and he confirmed what you said. The current activity is barely raising a ripple in the media there.

[zzm9980]

How much chance this idiot sends off a rocket and goes astray and hits MY or Singapore?

It's rather far, likely out of his missile range, and the exact opposite direction a flight path to the US or Japan would take.

[zzm9980]

I guess, if they strike (and they will not), the first target will be Suwon, not Seoul. That is where Samsung's headquarters are located.

If they got Steve Job's kickback before he died, they will!

Mr Jobs said: "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

[nakatago]

You can't even imagine how many times they did this while I was living in Seoul. South Koreans are constantly on alert just in case, but nobody believes anything can happens. North Korea attacks == that will be the end of North Korea right away, and North Koreans understand it clearly. The only question is how much mess they leave behind before they go down.

There is a guy on my football teams forum who lives in Seoul and he confirmed what you said. The current activity is barely raising a ripple in the media there.

To the rest of the world, it's North Korea threatening a strike.

To the South Koreans, it's "yesterday."

[Sergei82]

How much chance this idiot sends off a rocket and goes astray and hits MY or Singapore?

It's rather far, likely out of his missile range, and the exact opposite direction a flight path to the US or Japan would take.

If you continue this reasoning, you may assume the missile may as well fall back on North Korea. Everybody will sigh with relief...
Created by USSR, and then hated as well by USSR, what North Korea is doing is the only way for its regime to survive.

[sundaymorningstaple]

...you may assume the missile may as well fall back on North Korea. Everybody will sigh with relief...

Would that be was is called "being hoist by one's own petard?"

[nakatago]

Ahh

[JR8]

You can't even imagine how many times they did this while I was living in Seoul. South Koreans are constantly on alert just in case, but nobody believes anything can happens. North Korea attacks == that will be the end of North Korea right away, and North Koreans understand it clearly. The only question is how much mess they leave behind before they go down.

There is a guy on my football teams forum who lives in Seoul and he confirmed what you said. The current activity is barely raising a ripple in the media there.

What Sergei writes rings a bell. I have toured South Korea. You can take a day-trip up to the DMZ to witness the border and North Korean soldiers manning the frontier. (To go, you have to wear a long sleeve shirt and trousers - if you're a backpacker you can rent them).

There is a feeling of threat, but it is something that the locals have just learned to take for granted. Anything kicks off and the backlash will be immense.

I have also been to Israel. In summary it's 'ditto, but about * 3'. Perhaps because it has enemies on 3 sides. The armed forces can mobilise nationally in 10 minutes IIRC. Even off-duty female soldiers are down on the beach with their M16 lying next to them. (I think I previously mentioned that one time I was in a club in Israel and 'popped a girls clip'. Then we had the sub-meme of 'Bikini-girls with machine guns').

Scabre rattling intended to induce paranoia. To those nearest they are used to it. NK has not sent any form of rocket more than 250-300 miles. Tokyo is the first place they threaten on hitting (if they could). As they know that will tweak the western twankie to the max.

To get an insight, I suggest this thought-provoking book...
This is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood
http://www.amazon.com/This-Paradise-Nor ... y+paradise

These people are so impoverished they couldn't walk to the border, even if they could get uniforms, weapons and rations. And they sure as hell haven't the fuel to mobilise a fighting army. Their 'missiles' are empty tin tubes ... at least for the time-being.

Talk about a 'shadow-state' where the people would benefit from liberty. In some ways it seems obscene that such a tyranny can exist within this day and age... China's dirty-playing little proxy. It's akin to the world accepting but overlooking the Nazi atrocities. But there is simply not enough motivation for anyone to do anything about it.

Perhaps they are a useful-idiot state, for all parties concerned.

[Brah]

You can't even imagine how many times they did this while I was living in Seoul. South Koreans are constantly on alert just in case, but nobody believes anything can happens. North Korea attacks == that will be the end of North Korea right away, and North Koreans understand it clearly. The only question is how much mess they leave behind before they go down.

There is a guy on my football teams forum who lives in Seoul and he confirmed what you said. The current activity is barely raising a ripple in the media there.

But in the same way, some US media seem to be downplaying it compared with what I hear on the BBC - for example The Huffington Post, which is not really the best benchmark, but it hasn't really featured it, and I wonder if there is a governmental hand in this to not allow it to get sensationalized. They have stories, but they are kind of buried.

I say this at the risk of being labeled an alarmist or conspiracy theorist...

[BillyB]

I'm gonna get my bomb-shelter ready this weekend, just in case things kick-off..........

But then again, how will anyone rescue me from all the way up on the 42nd floor when the whole building collapses around me????!!!!!!

[x9200]

Don't worry. You will be extracted through the ventilation shaft unless you left the metal cover closed. In such event you will be just left were you are and the LL will charge the usual rate plus the damages.

[Strong Eagle]

[the lynx]

I'm gonna get my bomb-shelter ready this weekend, just in case things kick-off..........

But then again, how will anyone rescue me from all the way up on the 42nd floor when the whole building collapses around me????!!!!!!

When the whole building collapses, no one needs to go all the way up to 42nd floor anyway

[BillyB]

I'm gonna get my bomb-shelter ready this weekend, just in case things kick-off..........

But then again, how will anyone rescue me from all the way up on the 42nd floor when the whole building collapses around me????!!!!!!

When the whole building collapses, no one needs to go all the way up to 42nd floor anyway

Alright smarty-pants - I did say collapse around me - isn't the bomb-shelter stack supposed to remain standing even during a nuclear apocalypse?!

[the lynx]

I'm gonna get my bomb-shelter ready this weekend, just in case things kick-off..........

But then again, how will anyone rescue me from all the way up on the 42nd floor when the whole building collapses around me????!!!!!!

When the whole building collapses, no one needs to go all the way up to 42nd floor anyway

Alright smarty-pants - I did say collapse around me - isn't the bomb-shelter stack supposed to remain standing even during a nuclear apocalypse?!

Ah that was the Friday version me shooting out.

To answer your question:

The protection provided by household bomb shelter comes from a combination of the strengthened walls, ceilings and floors, the setback distances of the shelter from the building's exterior, and the firm foundation to provide added stability and resilience against collapse. Singapore's apartment blocks are robust structures that will not easily collapse even after being hit by a bomb although localised damage to the block may be expected. While certain areas of the building may be perforated, the building as a whole will remain standing.