South Korea Considers Surgical Strike On Statues Of Kim Jong-il

If North Korea provokes South Korea on the third anniversary of the ROKS Cheonan sinking, the South may respond with a military strike on statues of the North’s nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il, according to the Chosun Ilbo.

Apparently this would be a big deal. From the Chosun Ilbo:

The statues are considered sacred in the North, and any damage to them could deliver a huge psychological impact. "If North Korea launches another provocation, our military has developed a plan to respond with air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missiles to strike not only the source of provocation as well as support and command forces, but also some statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il," a government source here said Sunday.

A surgical strike within North Korea would also remind the North that the South enjoys clear air supremacy, even if its army is less than half as big as the North's 1.2 million strong force.

The Ilbo reports that there are 35,000 statues and other ornaments deifying the two leaders in the North. One potential target might be the two huge bronze statues atop Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang revealed last year: