Naval battle off the coast of Korea

The sinking of a South Korean naval vessel Friday is raising fears that North Korea is once again rattling its sabers, though there is so far no evidence that Pyongyang had a role in the incident.

The South Korean ship, navigating in disputed waters in the Yellow Sea, was sunk Friday, and perhaps dozens of sailors were killed. But the cause of the sinking is unclear at time of writing.The South Korean ship, navigating in disputed waters in the Yellow sea.

More here.

My Comments: I'm starting to become of the opinion that North Korea's days are numbered. Very few of the great powers have anything to gain from North Korea any more and ruling party is losing power. Personally, I think the crisis point will come with Kim Jong-Il's death and succession of his son, who does not nearly have as much political clout as his father. While its hard to say what will likely happen after Jong-Il's death, one thing seems certain: this relic conflict of the Cold War will likely end.

Over the next couple of posts, I'm going to take a look at the history of North Korea to show how it's value to the great powers has deteriorated.