One of the more immediate dangers of North Korea is its ability to sell plutonium to international terrorists, financed with petrobucks, Oil—for—Food bucks, or heroin trade bucks. No less than the top U.S. military commander in South Korea, Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, is warning of the possibility.

The General's public remarks come in the context of the breakdown of the multiparty talks to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program, and the APEC meeting in Santiago, Chile, where President Bush is meeting face—to—face with the leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea, the other parties to the talks. In addition, he is able to meet with the other heads of state of the Pacific Rim nations.

Meanwhile, nobody knows what the heck is going on with the reign of the Kim Dynasty. Is he in mourning for his faviorite concubine, downplaying the cult of personality (in order to liberalize?), under pressure from elements within the military, or even dead? We simply don't know.

North Korea is, however, the potential source of just about the biggest trouble imaginable: a nuclear terror attack and/or export of nuclear weapons and the missles to carry them. This is serious.

Thomas Lifson   11 20 04