Report: N. Korea May Have Fired Missile

AP Via Yahoo ^ | 5/1/05

[steveegg]

Not to downplay other threats (Seoul, a bomb delivered to a U.S. port via ship), but this is the kind of stuff that makes me very cynical when I hear about NK's ability to fire a missle to our west coast.

It's South Korea's cage that's being rattled this time around. All that artillery aimed as Seoul isn't as frightening as 1 or 2 nuclear-tipped short-range missiles.

[Jim_Curtis]

The Japanese Cabinet in February approved legislation that would allow the defense chief to order the military to shoot down incoming missiles.

That's fortunate because otherwise I guess they would just have to watch the missile coming at them and do nothing about it.

Maybe I shouldn't be so shocked by the absurdity of that statement because our Democrats as recently as 9/10/2001 were arguing that it was intimidating to our enemies to try knocking their missiles out of the air...missiles that would be heading toward US cities.

[End Times Sentinel]

It's South Korea's cage that's being rattled this time around. All that artillery aimed as Seoul isn't as frightening as 1 or 2 nuclear-tipped short-range missiles.

Right you are.  Heck, even a couple of artillery shells with nuke warheads is likely within their ability.

 

Have we done anything to draw back troops or lower troop levels around the DMZ?  I should have kept better track of what was going on there, but I don't want our boys in harms way with that maniacal helmet on the loose in NK.

 

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[maineman]

GO AHEAD....MAKE MY DAY!!!!! PUNK!

[txradioguy]

Western Corridor is no more...everything is pulling back down south

[steveegg]

Right you are. Heck, even a couple of artillery shells with nuke warheads is likely within their ability.

Have we done anything to draw back troops or lower troop levels around the DMZ? I should have kept better track of what was going on there, but I don't want our boys in harms way with that maniacal helmet on the loose in NK.

Point taken, though a nuclear artillery shell requires quite a bit more miniaturization than a missile topped with one (8" warhead for early nuclear artillery or 5" for later artillery, with the produced versions of the 5" nuke shells having sub-kiloton warheads, vs. 18" warhead for the FROG-7).

[txradioguy]

I want a 12-pack of OB Beer and a 1/2lb of Bulgogi and Rice or I'm gonna get pissed!

[MindBender26]

Think this was a FUBAR. 65 mile range missile would have been fired incountry so they could recover reentry vehicle, etc.

Notice no "Happy Workers at Missile Plant # 93 Are Overjoyed ...." type announcements.

Bet this was supposed to go much farther, and flubbed.

[txradioguy]

Probably a little Saber rattling at Japan for two reasons....a) they are talking about making their own nuclear arsenal as protection from the DPRK...and b) they are going to be part of the missile shield.

I also read the other day that the Jappanese are working on re-doing the parts of their constitution that makes it almost impossible to deply the JDF beyond their own borders.

[blam]

"I want a 12-pack of OB Beer and a 1/2lb of Bulgogi and Rice or I'm gonna get pissed!"

Bulgogi, outstanding food. Was it in Korea that I had "33" beer? (Maybe forty years ago now.)

[Fitzcarraldo]

The Japanese Cabinet in February approved legislation that would allow the defense chief to order the military to shoot down incoming missiles.

The North Koreans, taking the Iranian's advice, would explode a warhead high over the center of the Japanese island, to maximize its EMP effects, hundreds of miles in the air from Patriot-missile type defense systems.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Given the above, the North Koreans do not need pinpoint targeting ability for an EMP strike over Japan.

[AmericanInTokyo]

You would have had 'bulgogi' in ROK for sure, but the "33", or "ba me ba", would have been 'the Nam'. About the only thing drinkable in Korea fourty years ago would have been "OB" and "Crown", not to mention the old rot gut favorites like "soju" and "dondonju".

[Fitzcarraldo]

so they could recover reentry vehicle, etc.

There is no need for a reentry vehicle for an EMP mission. It's exploded above the atmosphere of the target country.

[blam]

"You would have had 'bulgogi' in ROK for sure, but the "33", or "ba me ba", would have been 'the Nam'."

I made a lot of Asian ports in those days, they start to 'run-together.'

[Fitzcarraldo]

we must invade and accupy and return them to democracy.

With what? We probably have less than 50,000 troops we can use for this given our commitments in the middle east.

[SevenofNine]

OH TG be careful well I going ping North Korean news list

[Diognetes]

What we ought to do is be prepared for the next North Korean saber-rattling missile test and shoot it down in flight to send NK a message.

[Tommyjo]

The same as March 2003. An anti-ship cruise missile test.