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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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 Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject: DPRK at it again |
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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g5bCbd3G8qFoX7H4TvQbUWvBQ08QD996HD3O0
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NKorea fires missiles; launch toward US feared
By JAE-SOON CHANG � 1 hour ago
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) � North Korea fired a barrage of short-range missiles off its east coast Thursday, a possible prelude to the launch of a long-range missile toward Hawaii over the July Fourth holiday.
Firing a ballistic missile on Independence Day would be a challenge to Washington, which has been rallying international support for enforcement of U.N. sanctions imposed against Pyongyang following a May 25 nuclear test. North Korea is banned from testing ballistic missiles under U.N. resolutions.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Thursday that a long-range missile launch this weekend was possible. "We cannot rule out the possibility," he said, citing Pyongyang's past behavior.
In 2006, North Korea launched its most advanced Taepodong 2 missile while the U.S. celebrated Independence Day, though the rocket fizzled shortly after takeoff and fell into the ocean.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United States remains concerned about North Korea's missile and nuclear programs but called Thursday's launches "not unexpected."
Several U.S. Defense Department officials said there is nothing to indicate that North Korea is ready to launch a long-range ballistic missile and there appears to be no immediate threat to the United States.
The April 5 launch of a Taepodong-2 required 12 days of preparation on the launch pad, which was fully observable to U.S. satellites. Short and medium-range missiles, however, can be launched with little notice.
Missile defenses around Hawaii were beefed up following a mid-June report in a Japanese newspaper that the North might fire a long-range missile toward the islands in early July.
The head of the U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Victor E. "Gene" Renuart, said in an interview with the Washington Times this week that U.S. missile defenses are prepared to knock down any incoming North Korean missile. "I think we ought to assume there might be one on the Fourth of July," he said, according to the paper. |
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soviet_man
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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I must admit chris_j2, I usually find your posts interesting.
Was it you that was involved in a Cliffite trot group in the past? Was it the ISO?
I say that because it is an almost universal default position for people to automatically, and uncritically, bash the DPRK.
At least this article from preumably an ROK reporter is straight news and they have left the soapbox at home. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:37 pm Post subject: DPRK |
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SM: Don't shoot the messenger, pls. Just a simple cut & paste of a breaking story this morning from South Korean sources.
DPRK did fire more missiles yesterday. If not, please link to a source discrediting this. VOA is also running this story:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-02-voa64.cfm |
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thoreau
Joined: 21 Jun 2009
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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For sure, the DPRK probably wants the attention and is trying to engineer political benefit from that attention - like perhaps a better deal in eventual negotiations, although, equally plausibly, a greater reluctance to unilaterally attack them.
But with the amount and way that it gets covered in the western media, you'd think that no other countries' militaries ever test any of their missiles. |
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