Them, us; it blowed up real good either way.
Posted on 07/04/2006 9:42:42 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
/begin my translation
Six launches including Taepodong-2 were confirmed...the additional launches were being investigated
It is possible that N. Korea launched six additional launches of short-range and shore-to-ship missiles, in addition to six launches of Taepodong-2, Nodong, and Scud surface-to-surface missiles, during dawn and morning hours of July 5th.
Senior government sources said, "The confirmed launches so far by N. Koreans are one Taepodong launch and five launches of Nodong and Scud missiles, totaling six. However, we have indications that, between 7am and 8:13am, six additional missiles are launched, which we are trying to confirm." These additional missiles are likely to be 'Seersucker' shore-to-ship missiles (range: 100~120km) and Scuds(range: 300~500km.)
The (S. Korean) government officially announced (this morning) that, on July 5th, at 5am, N. Korea launched Taepodong-2 missile at Taepodong, Hwa-dae County, N. Hamkyong Province, and, starting at 3:32am, several Scud and Nodong missiles at Kitaeryong, Anbyun County, Kangwon Province.
Intelligence agencies determined that Taepodong-2 blew up mid-air over East Sea, 40 seconds after its launch, turning the test into a failure.
Yoo Yong-won, military affairs correspondent
posted : 2006.07.05 11:46 17'
/end my translationN. Korea May Have Fired Up To 12 Missiles
Ping!
They got it right when they mistook Albright for the maid. That is what she should have always been.
Did it have help "blowing up"? Or did it blow up all by itself? I.e., did we shoot it down?
After this crisis is resolved, there will be many who will go down in flames. Maddy is on the top of the list. She has been completely had by Kim Jong-il.
OTOH, we also learned something about the state of their capabilities: with the entire world watching, they only barely got the only interesting flight launched... that's not terribly unusual, but I do wonder if there isn't a sudden need for a replacement missile program head (literally) in the PRK.
It will take time to find out exactly what happened. Days, weeks, or months? I do not know.:) I would not rule out interception by some means.
Seemingly threatening acts calculated to trigger a response..
Then Kim can claim "innocence" in his actions, as there was no real threat...
Kim can also claim victim status with possibly the U.S. as the bullying aggressor..
Public relations and International politics may then be leveraged in N. Korea's favor..
Possibly such a leverage could be used in future six-party talks..
Just a wild guess, but it sort of fits with past behaviours..
Their paranoia would not have dared taken a chance that we would have recovered an intact launch vehicle: once the test was deemed a failure, their range-safety crew (or equivalent) would have destroyed the missile.
I heard the story that there have been some heated discussions among N. Korean senior military figures on their rocket's capability. Apparently, they weren't entirely sure that it will fly.
I jusat watched a great rocket ship go by...the ISS with Space Shuttle Discovery docked on. It was very bright as it cruised past the North Star. God Bless America!
My 2 cents worth: we would have not done anything to that launch unless there was a direct threat to the US. If for no other reason than this: the best way to learn of the enemy's capabilities is to watch it perform for as long as possible.
They only have one main script, which they use again and again.:)
Whoops, not ND2 but rather the Taepodong-2.
I just watched a great rocket ship go by...the ISS with Space Shuttle Discovery docked on. It was very bright as it cruised past the North Star. God Bless America!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.