Page 60 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

North Korean Masking

North Korea potentially provides “cover” for aggressive
Chinese moves in the region, specifically an assault on Taiwan.
To some military planners it is axiomatic that North Korea
will assist a Chinese military move across the Taiwan Strait
by at least making threatening moves of its own against South
Korea, Japan, and/or U.S. forces.

But what sort of North Korean distraction? It needn’t be an
all-out assault on South Korea, even though that cannot be
ruled out. A missile or two into Seoul, or something similar
towards Japan and/or American targets in Japan or beyond,
even troop movements, feints, or moving long-range missiles
around on mobile launchers, would be enough. This would at
least hold U.S. forces in place, and the same with Japanese and
South Korean forces; they could not be readily deployed to
assist Taiwan.

The United States is engaged militarily in Europe, the
Middle East, and otherwise has global responsibilities
for an overstretched military. Having to devote resources
and bandwidth to the Korean Peninsula would be a huge
problem. And don’t forget the U.S. administration’s limited
political bandwidth to deal with another major contingency
in Northeast Asia, thus making Washington more willing to
compromise and accept a Chinese fait accompli.

If the United States has to prosecute an actual shooting war
on the Peninsula while needing to deal with a Chinese attack

Chapter Three : Beijing Prefers an Aggressive and Provocative North Korea 59