Saw this over at the Lost Nomad’s site.

Roh spoke to journalists at the Blue House (South Korea’s version of the U.S. White House), today. Apparently foreign journalists were not invited for these gems:

The United States will never be able to resort to military means to end the North Korean nuclear crisis, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun… “neither side has the freedom to take the situation to a breakdown… under no circumstances can the North choose nuclear weapons, and under no circumstances can the United States choose military means…” [emphasis added]

This is akin to Roh’s statements in March when he stated that he would “not allow” the deployment of U.S. military troops stationed in Korea in the event of a China-Taiwan altercation, and when his administration ordered the stop of (joint) work on OPLAN 5029 (what to do in the event of a complete North Korean collapse), on the grounds that such planning might offend North Korea.

Roh’s comments on what U.S. military forces can and cannot do clearly overstep any legal or customary authority he might have, while his halting of OPLAN 5029 (which among other things would plan for quickly securing NK’s WMD facilities and conventional weapons sites) is irresponsible in regard to regional and even international security. While it is understandable to not want war, and SK may have small (i.e., not large enough to scrap it over) points concerning parts of the OPLAN, Roh giving orders to the U.S. goes beyond the limits of what is acceptable.

Although I do not know for certain, I strongly suspect that OPLAN 5029 is still being developed by U.S. planners - it is simply too important not to plan for something of that magnitude. With stated U.S. policy to keep its military options open, for a North Korean or China-Taiwan issue, it is unlikely that Roh’s preferences would be heeded.