North Korea Hints at a Big Event

North Korea Hints at a Big Event

By E. Stanley Ukeni

Well, here is a bit of tantalizing news that I think might intrigue you. It seems to be a preview of an undeclared ominous event-horizon by the North Korean regime. I think it’s appropriate that I note, before I continue, that it’s not my intent to sound alarmist information that might be of little or no consequence.  It should be noted that similar announcement in the past turned out to be empty bellicose by the hermit regime.

Ok, Ok…enough with the suspense. At the moment, about two hundred journalists from around the world are gathered in Pyongyang—the capital of North Korea, to cover the commemoration of the 105^th birthday anniversary of the founding father of the nation of North Korea—Kim Il Sung, on the 15^th of April 2017. This annual celebration is the biggest national day in the hermit kingdom, themed the ‘Day of the Sun’.

It is not unusual for the North Korean government to engage in some sort of spectacular and provocative display of military might during such an event. So, anticipation was heightened today, Wednesday April 12, 2017, when the North Korean officials informed visiting international journalists—who had come to cover the  ‘Day of the Sun’, to assemble early on Thursday, and to be prepared for a ‘big and important event’.  No detail was given as to the nature of the event being hinted at, or where it would take place. So, it’s anybody’s guess what surprise the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has under his sleeves. Whatever it is, we hope it’s nothing that would threaten or destabilize international peace.     

This announcement is of particular interest because of the intelligence assessment by US government officials last month that the North Korean government has concluded final preparations for the country’s sixth underground nuclear test—and amidst a heightened tension due to deployment of a U.S. Navy strike group to the Western Pacific.

It should be recalled that, a few days ago, the commander of the United States’ Armed Forces’ Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., ordered the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and three guided-missile destroyers and cruisers to the Western Pacific Ocean—near the Korean Peninsula, in a show of force in the face of a North Korean belligerence.

The nuclear-powered, 97,000-ton US aircraft carrier, hosts more than sixty aircrafts, and about 5,000 naval personals. The USS Carl Vinson is escorted by guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy and the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain. I have to add that the Carl Vinson strike group is indeed a fearsome and formidable armada that would strike fear in the hearts of any potential adversary of the United States that they would be deployed against.

Perhaps this explains why the North Korean government responded to the US naval strike group deployment by threatening a counter response. Frankly, I hope this is mere rhetoric on the part of the North Koreans. However, as events unfold, I hope the principle actors are mindful of the ‘law of unintended consequences’.

You can be sure that we’ll be updating you on any significant development in the Korean Peninsula tomorrow.

Authored by E. Stanley Ukeni, © 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material and other articles or stories posted on this blog site may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, in whole or in part, without prior expressed written permission from the author, E. Stanley Ukeni.

You are invited to follow E. Stanley Ukeni on twitter at; @EzStan . I invite you to equally follow me on google+