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Korean War vet weighs in on possibility of war with the rogue state

Tulsa Korean War veteran Jim Baker says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has little to gain, and much to lose, by entering a shooting war with the United States and its allies.

"What would he gain if he started a war with the South Koreans and the United States?" he asked rhetorically, referring to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. "You know, if he starts a war with them, we'd have to show ourselves too, and probably we'll end up supporting South Korea and be right in the middle of it like we were in 1950."

Baker, former Commander of American Legion Post 1 in Tulsa, says he also thinks China would have a much different response this time around.

Asked if he thought they'd enter the war on the side of North Korea, he replied "I don't think they're going to, because there's too much trade coming from China to the United States. They'd have too much lose if they just lost Walmart."

For the record, Walmart by itself is China's seventh-largest export market.

So with that in mind, he thinks North Korea knows it would be biting off more than it could chew.

"I think they're just spouting," he said. "They're just showing muscle."

Many analysts believe all the bellicose talk is Kim Jong Un's attempt to show his people he's got the military chops to lead their nation.

Baker says the Supreme Leader "might be foolish, but I don't think he's crazy." He adds, "he's got a hell of a lot to lose if he starts a war."

That hasn't stopped the United States military from responding to the latest round of threats.

The Pentagon announced Sunday it had sent F-22 fighter jets to participate in U.S. - South Korean war games.

Monday, it released a statement that it is deploying a massive sea-based radar platform closer to the Korean coast to keep an eye on Pyongyang.

The White House said today there are no signs that the North Korean military is actually mobilizing.

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