Trump and North Korea - NOT amateur radio

OK, I admit that President Trump is not one of my favourite all time leaders, but credit where credit is due.

Meeting Kim in the Korean demilitarised zone and stepping into North Korea, although probably good for next years' elections, has probably done some good. All credit to him for taking the risk that he would be snubbed. Mind you, I am sure behind the scenes their aides were working hard.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48814975

Reconnecting Korea - NOT amateur radio

Nearly my entire life Korea has been divided.  Years ago I went to South Korea for work, but never to the north.

I gather there are holidays in North Korea to include visits to potato farms and processing factories - not exactly my "cup of tea".  😉

Now there is a project to join north and south by rail and road. I really hope people divided by war can move freely and see long lost relatives.

North and South Korea are very different places these days. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a capitalist city, oozing wealth. The northern state capital, Pyongyang, is very communist and controlled.  Let the people of Korea decide how to move forward.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-46686428/north-and-south-korea-ceremony-held-for-transport-re-connection .

North Korea - NOT amateur radio

Sadly we have people in charge in the USA and North Korea who seem a bit irrational, allegedly. I certainly hope they can resolve their differences peacefully. War in Korea would result in countless deaths (millions?), even assuming it could be contained.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41395970 .

North Korea - NOT amateur radio

There is a crisis brewing.

The North Koreans are treading dangerously. The USA is being provoked and Trump is a loose cannon. If the USA fires a pre-emptive strike all hell would be let loose with unpredictable outcomes. Talk is always better.

Japan (again) and South Korea on 6m JT65 this morning

For the third morning in a row Japan was again coming in on 6m JT65. Today there were 10 Japanese stations copied! Also a couple of South Koreans. Amazing conditions for a VHF band! All this was around 0830-1000z.

There was also a spot of C3NY/UM0NGN, but I was not sure if this was Andorra or Turkmenistan!

The best DX on 6m JT65 RX was 9495km - quite an incredible distance for a VHF band.

North Korea - NOT amateur radio

If North Korea continues its missile tests Mr Trump will retaliate. They risk a bombing of their nuclear test facility and the consequences could be catastrophic not only for the Korean peninsula.

If the USA was instrumental in putting a "spanner in the works" last time, it is unlikely they will repeat this trick. Of course, we have no proof of their involvement and the missile may have failed on its own.

I have mixed feelings: we do not want an unstable regime to be able to fire nuclear weapons on South Korea, Japan or the USA, but at the same time I do not trust Mr Trump to do the wise thing. I hope he is well advised and that he listens. He has a tendency to "fire from the hip".  Somehow I don't think this will work with North Korea.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39623882

North Korea - NOT amateur radio

OK, I am not a great fan of North Korea. I visited South Korea in 1994 and it had a vibrant economy even then. It would be good if those in North Korea were able to enjoy the same freedoms.

What worries me about the North Koreans is their nuclear weapons. They want to develop these.

As I speak the USA has not taken any action, despite threats. Personally, and I may well be wrong, I think a more likely scenario is deliberate hacking so that any nuclear tests fail and no political capital can be made from the tests.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39604361 .