By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON - The only thing predictable about the North Korean regime is its unpredictability, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a television broadcast today.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told CNN today that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is trying to assure the transition of leadership to his son, Kim Jong-un. He implied that the sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan in March and the artillery strikes on Yeongpyeong Island on Nov. 23 are part of that process.
Mullen called the North Korean leader belligerent and dangerous.
"He is consistently destabilizing and is only predictable in his unpredictability," the admiral said. "He galvanizes everyone around with the potential that they could go to war with South Korea."
North Korea is on a path to develop nuclear weapons, and the artillery strikes on Yeongpyeong Island are latest sign of his continued belligerence, he said.
Kim Jong-il reportedly cited South Korea's recent military exercises with the United States as a reason for the artillery strike.
However, the Hoguk series of exercises that began earlier this month in South Korea and include 70,000 South Korean troops, have been long planned, Mullen said. Exercises built around the USS George Washington carrier battle group in the Yellow Sea began today. Both sets of exercises are built around deterrence, in response to the sinking of the Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.
"It focuses on security in the Yellow Sea particularly in respect to submarine warfare," he said. "It is meant to send a very strong signal of deterrence and also to work with close allies in South Korea.
"I don't think this will be the last exercise," he added. "This is a part of the world that we've exercised in for decades and we will continue."
South Korea and the United States are focused on restraint and not letting the situation get out of control, the admiral said. "The South Koreans, so far, have responded that way," he said. "Nobody wants this thing to turn into a conflict."
China is also urging restraint and Chinese leaders probably are the only people who can exert influence on North Korea, Mullen said.
"The Chinese certainly were involved with the response at the United Nations after the sinking of the Cheonan," he said. "The North Koreans were taken aback by the strength of that response from China. We think it is important for the international community to lead, but in particular, China.
"It's a very dangerous area when [Kim] does this. It destabilizes the region, and China has as much to lose as anybody."
(Milcom Blogspot)
as requested, the following is a repost of our current winter B10 schedules for North and South Korea on shortwave.
North Korea - B10 shortwave schedules
Effective from: 01 November 2010 - 27 March 2011
All times UTC
broadcast daily - programs last 47 to 57 minutes
Voice of Korea
Arabic
1500-1557 9990va 11545va
1700-1757 9990va 11545va
Chinese
0000-0057 13650as 15100as
0200-0257 7220as 9345as 9730as
0300-0357 13650as 15100as
0800-0857 7220as 9345as
1100-1157 7220as 9345as
1300-1357 6185as 9850as
2100-2157 7235as 9345as 9975as 11535as
2200-2257 7235as 9345as 9975as 11535as
German
1600-1657 6285eu 9325eu
1800-1857 6285eu 9325eu
1900-1957 6285eu 9325eu
English
0100-0157 7220as 9345as 9730as 11735am 13760sa 15180sa
0200-0257 13650as 15100as
0300-0357 7220as 9345as 9730as
1000-1057 6185as 6285sa 9335sa 9850as
1300-1357 7570eu 9335na 11710na 12015eu
1500-1557 7570eu 9335na 11710na 12015eu
1600-1657 9990va 11545va
1800-1857 7570eu 12015eu
1900-1957 7210af 99975va 11535va 11910af
2100-2157 7570eu 12015eu
French
0100-0157 13650as 15100as
0300-0357 11735sa 13760sa 15180sa
1100-1157 6185as 6285sa 9335sa 9850as
1400-1457 7570eu 9335na 11710na 12015eu
1600-1657 7570eu 9335na 11710na 12015eu
1800-1857 7210af 9975va 11535va 11910af
2000-2057 7570eu 12015eu
Japanese
0700-0757 3250as 7580as 9650as
0800-0857 3250as 7580as 9650as
0900-0957 3250as 6070as 7580as 9650as
1000-1057 3250as 6070as 7580as 9650as
1100-1157 3250as 6070as 7580as 9650as
1200-1257 3250as 6070as 7580as 9650as
2100-2157 3250as 7580as 9650as
2200-2257 3250as 7580as 9650as
2300-2357 3250as 7580as 9650as
Russian
0700-0757 9975eu 11735eu 13760eu 15245eu
0800-0857 9975eu 11735eu 13760eu 15245as
1400-1457 6285eu 9325eu
1500-1557 6285eu 9325eu
1700-1757 6285eu 9325eu
Spanish
0000-0057 11735sa 13760sa 15180sa
0200-0257 11735sa 13760sa 15180sa
1900-1957 7570eu 12015eu
2200-2257 7570eu 12015eu
(Arnulf Piontek, Berlin, Germany)
Pyongyang Broadcasting Station
Korean
0000-0057 7220as 9345as 9730as
0700-0757 7220as 9345as
0900-0957 9975eu 11735eu 13760eu 15245eu
1000-1057 7220as 9345as
1200-1257 7220as 9345as
1300-1357 6285eu 9325eu
(Arnulf Piontek, Berlin, Germany)
Korean Central BS
Korean
0900-0957 9345as
1200-1257 6185as 6285sa 9335sa 9850as
1400-1457 6185as 9850as
1700-1757 7570eu 9335na 11710na 12015eu
2000-2057 6285eu 7210af 9325eu 9975va 11535va 11910af
2300-2357 7235as 7570eu 9345as 9975as 11535as 12015eu
(Arnulf Piontek, Berlin, Germany)
South Korea - B10 schedules
KBS World
Effective: 31 October 2010
All times UTC
Arabic
1800-1900 WRN ME/Africa
2000-2100 9430 (Sines) ME/Africa
Chinese
1130-1230 9770 SE Asia
1130-1230 6065 China
1300-1400 1170(MW),7275 Non Direction
2300-2400 9805 SE Asia
2200-2300 7275 China
English 1
0000-0100 1440(Marnach) Europe
0200-0300 9580 S.America
0800-0900 9570 SE Asia
1200-1300 9650(Sackville) N.America
1300-1400 9570 SE Asia
1600-1700 9640 SE Asia
1600-1700 9515 Europe
1800-1900 7275 Europe
English 2
0930-1000 WRN Europe
1100-1130 9760(DRM)Sat Europe
2200-2230 3955(Skelton) Europe
2300-2330 WRN Europe
French
2100-2200 3955 (Skelton) Europe
2100-2200 6165 (Issoudun) Africa (from Dec. 1)
German
2000-2100 3955 (Skelton) Europe
Indonesian
1200-1300 9570 SE Asia
1400-1500 9570 SE Asia
1900-2000 102.6 Jakarta
2200-2300 9805 SE Asia
Japanese
0100-0200 9580 Japan
0200-0300 11810 Japan
0800-0900 7275 Japan
0800-0900 6155 Japan
1000-1100 9805 Japan
1100-1300 1170(MW) Japan
Korean 1
1600-1800 7275 Europe
1700-1900 9515 Europe
0900-1100 7275 Non Direction
1600-1800 9705 Middle East/Africa
Korean 2
0300-0400 11810 S.America
0700-0800 6045(Skelton) Europe
0900-1100 9570 SE Asia
0900-1000 15160 ME/Africa
1000-1100 1170 (MW) Non Direction
1200-1300 7275 Non Direction
1400-1500 9650(Sackville) N.America
Russian
1800-1900 7235(Rampisham) Europe
2030-2100 738 Moscow
Spanish
0100-0200 11810 S.America
0200-0230 9560(Sackville) North America
0600-0700 6045(Sackville) Europe
1100-1200 11795(Sackville) South America
Vietnamese
0100-0200 9565 Southeast Asia
1030-1130 9770 Southeast Asia
1500-1600 9640 Southeast Asia
(Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India)