As if the world didn't have enough trouble already. The lunatics in charge of North Korea have been ratcheting up the rhetoric over the last few days, threatening "unprecedented" nuclear strikes on South Korea and the U.S. after speculation was published that the regime was tottering.
Now a South Korean naval vessel is reported to have sunk off the coast of an island not far from the border.
Uh, oh.
As reportedhere
Just a little rampant speculation on my part, but the ship reportedly sank about 4 hours after an explosion that holed the bottom of the hull, and 58 members of the crew were rescued so far. This suggests a large South Korean naval vessel, not a small gunboat. I suspect the damage was caused by striking a mine laid by the North Koreans.
Mines aren't as dramatic as things like surface to surface missiles, but they're actually far more lethal, causing fatal damage to even quite large ships from a single hit. A large U.S. cruiser was very nearly sunk by striking a single mine during the first Gulf War.
This is the kind of 'minor event' that triggers a disastrous conflict.
Here's hoping sanity prevails.