In a nuclear standoff with North Korea more than two decades ago, American foresaw a costly victory
WASHINGTON — In a nuclear standoff with North Korea more than two decades ago — long before the reclusive government had atomic weapons that could threaten America — U.S. officials planned for war.
Declassified documents published Friday show the United States believed its military and South Korea’s forces would “undoubtedly win” a conflict on the divided Korean Peninsula, with the understanding it would cost many casualties.
The Pentagon estimated at the time that if war broke with Korea, some 52,000 American service members would be killed or wounded in the first three months. South Korean military casualties would total 490,000 in that time. And the number of North Korean and civilian lives claimed would be enormous, according to “The Two Koreas” by Don Oberdorfer, a definitive modern history of Korean Peninsula.
Today, with North Korea almost able to directly threaten the U.S. mainland with nuclear strikes, the possibility of conflict looms as it had in 1994. President Donald Trump has vowed to stop the North Koreans from reaching such capability.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2017/12/10/In-a-nuclear-standoff-with-North-Korea-more-than-two-decades-ago-American-foresaw-a-costly-victory/stories/201712100193
