Could America successfully invade and occupy North Korea?

Question

Could the United States military successfully invade and occupy North Korea? Could the Korean Peoples Army withstand a US invasion? Would the North Koreans use their nuclear weapons to resist invasion? And if America could defeat North Korea's army, would we be able to successfully occupy North Korea, or would we end up with an endless Iraqi-style insurgent war?

Remember - the last time America tried to invade North Korea, America lost.

Eddood, the North Koreans don't import consumer goods - the Kim Jong Il dictatorship has a policy of economic self reliance.

Blockading North Korea's ports would only block North Korean exports.

As for starving North Korean civilians into rebelling, there really isn't an organized political opposition in North Korea to organize a rebellion.

Also, North Korea is a dictatorship, they have a very large Militia (criminal police) and National Security Agency (secret police).

Both the Militia and the NSA are large, efficient, very brutal and they have a huge labor camp system to funnel dissidents into.

Also, in North Korea, if the Militia or NSA arrest you, YOUR WHOLE FAMILY is liable for your crime for 3 generations - they will put your whole extended family in the labor camps with you.

When I said America wasn't able to occupy North Korea successfully the first time we tried it, I was referring to the Korean War - when the US invaded North Korea, after defeating the North Korean forces who had invaded and occupied South Korea.

The US drove the Korean Peoples Army out of South Korea and pushed them up to the mountains along the Manchurian border.

But then the Chinese Peoples Army intervened, and pushed the US/British forces all the way back to South Korea and reoccupied the South Korean capital, Seoul.

The Americans and British launched a counteroffensive, retook Seoul, and launched a huge 3 year long air offensive against North Korea.

Despite that, the American/British forces were not able to defeat the Chinese, or reoccupy North Korea.

Answer 1

NO
YES
YES
N/A

Answer 2

The United States could successfully invade North Korea, but occupation is another matter entirely. North Korea's nukes would be of little consequence past the first couple of days in a war. They do not have a large arsenal and first targets would be aimed at destroying their ability to produce more. Occupations are only successful when the populace is docile towards your presence. It is hard to say how the North Koreans would react on a civilian level to such an action, but I think it would be foolish to believe that there wouldn't be resistance.

Edit: The United states did not lose in North Korea. This was the first of America's political wars which ended in a ceasefire. There was no surrender and certainly no defeat of forces. Just a loss of political will to finish the fight.

Answer 3

Well to give a brief history lesson and then answer your question...We (US and South Korea) did defeat the North Korean Army...the North Korean Army was pretty much decimated after the push out at the Pusan Perimeter and the Landing a Inchon...we push what remained of the North Korean Army to the Yalu River on the border with China...If China had not entered the war we would not be talking about North Korea, instead just Korea...after China entered the war, through the recommendation of the Soviet Union, the Chinese did push us back past Seoul, but after they ran out of supplies and lost several hundred thousand soldiers, we retook Seoul and pushed them to the present boarder the ROK and DPRK have now...we could have pushed them back to China, but the President did not want to do it...Being that I was stationed in Korea and have done much research on your question I will now answer it...1) Yes we could, but we would need the help of the ROK, because we only have 30K troops there...the North Koreans are starving and their equipment is outdated...2) I know that they could not, but they might try for a little while...like I said their equipment is outdated, case in point, while I was in Korea a North Korean Mig flew into the ROK, it was so slow and old that our planes counld not engage it, so a helicopter had to...but on the up side the pilot was defecting to the South...3) They might, but they would not only kill US and ROK troops, but their own people and soldiers...they really have no way to deliver a nuke...so it would have to be a stationary bomb...4) No we would not, because the goal of both Koreas is to reunite, so if the US and ROK won the people in the DPRK would be happy to be back with their southern brothers....

Answer 4

Yes, as long as China doesn't get involved.

No, aged equipment, no combat experience.

No, China won't let them.

Once Kim falls, no insurgency.

Remember, the country is still suffering from a food shortage since the 1990's. Also most of the imports are coming from China. The food that is being grown mostly goes to the military and the political wing. The people don't get much of what's left.

North Korea is a Soviet styled dictatorship, with all of the power coming the politburo (or NK equivalent). The government handles every aspect of peoples lives.

Answer 5

The last time the U.S. "tried" to invade North Korea, we did and we were very successful. We pulled back because Truman didn't want to get the Chinese more involved than they already were. I don't think China would be so eager to help. North Korea having the bomb does not help China, it hurts it. If Japan feels threatened by a North Korean bomb, they can build them in about 6 months, China, South Korea and Vietnam would not like to see a resurgent Japan.

North Korea would be easy to occupy, the people are half starved to death and they have been beaten in to submission. If we treated them well, let them run things (like Japan after the war) and fed them, the people would cooperate.

Answer 6

Your question was: Could America successfully invade and occupy N.Korea? Your side-bars of what happened militarily during the Korean conflict were your own interpretation of what happened and not actually and historically accurate!

It is doubtful the US would ever attempt a ground invasion of N.Korea. For fifty years paranoia has been the chief motivator of these people in the belief that the US would soon invade them. Kim Jong Il and his father before him have kept this flea circus, other wise known of as the people of N.Korea, preoccupied with believeing the US was determined to invade their country.

All one need do is ask themselves, why! Why would the US ever consider a ground invasion of a country that is so over prepared to ward off attack, that this is all they think about. What possible benefit would it be to invade this barren, unforgiving landscape? When I think of N.Korea, I think of the surface of the moon. When I think about it's people, I think of how incredible it is that the communist regime can keep these people motivated for fifty years with fear and hate; fear of being invaded and hate towards the potential invaders.

Yes, the US could successfully attack N.Korea, but first, it would be necessary to drop a few, well placed, small nuclear devices in order to destroy it's nuclear capabilities, and to neutralize much of it's massive ground forces. It would take a significant airwar to destroy it's air power and missle defenses. It would be a very costly war for the US both in military resources and man power. The big question would remain as to China's response to such an action. The last time we all got together in this fashion, China decided to help defend N.Korea against a UN force. I believe that China would need to approve, or at least agree not to interfere, if an action or attack on N.Korea became imminent. This may not be possible.

Given that this is such a tyrannical regime, yet one that puts military power ahead of the well being of its people, perhaps the best tactic is to wait. Eventually, N.Korea will implode. It's people are starving, yet to feed them for humane reasons, only plays to the advantage of Kim Jong Il. Internal combustion is what we can all hope for, and that requires a wait and see additude. N.Korea is running out of time, yet they act as though they hold the trump card. Something may be lost in the translation, in that what they see as a trump card the US may see as just another delaying tactic.

N.Korea isn't used to the resistance from the US that it is seeing today. They expected the US to roll over, like it did when clinton was president. Indeed, this is confusing to N.Korea. After all, it worked for them before, why not now?

Answer 7

the U. S. ought to effectively invade North Korea, yet occupation is yet another rely completely. North Korea's nukes could be of little effect previous the 1st couple of days in a conflict. they don't have an excellent arsenal and conventional objectives could be geared in the direction of destroying their skill to offer greater. Occupations are in basic terms effective while the inhabitants is docile in the direction of your presence. it somewhat isn't any longer uncomplicated to assert how the North Koreans could react on a civilian point to such an action, yet i think of it may be silly to have faith that there does no longer be resistance. Edit: the U. S. did no longer lose in North Korea. This replaced into the 1st of usa's political wars which led to a ceasefire. there replaced into no resign and somewhat no defeat of forces. in basic terms a loss of political will to end the combat.

Answer 8

Yes. But I don't remember the last time that the United States tried to invade North Korea. Tell me more about it. Is this story in the same book as the one that tells how the United States committed the atrocities on 9/11?

Answer 9

How did we lose? and why would we want to occupy North Korea? North Korea has nothing that the US could want or need. You do realize that we are only in a cease fire state and that the Korean Conflict is still active right?

Answer 10

Why would we want to? Just attack by air and sea, shut off shipping. The country would be starved into submission very easily. The people of North Korea would probably mutiny against their government very quickly and search for help from South Korea to overthrow the North's army and government

Answer 11

Yes, we could, and the reason we didn't do it last time was because f politics. The Chinese liked the north Koreans and they rushed to support them. NK itself we had. It would take very different tactic then the Iraq war, but it could be done.
As for their Nuke? Very small and not very powerful. if they did use it, it would not be a disaster on the scale of the US using theirs.

But just because it's doable does not mean it should be done.