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http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=north+korea/v=2/SID=e/l=NSR/R=19/*-http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004092420478
North Korea: "Japan Will Suffer in the Case of a U.S. Nuclear Strike"
SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 21:58
North Korea announced on September 23, “If the U.S. were to launch a nuclear strike (against North Korea), U.S. army bases in Japan will become time bombs that will threaten Japan’s livelihood and also become a fuse that will victimize Japan with nuclear warfare.” An editorial that was printed in North Korea’s Rohdong Newspaper’s September 23 edition stated, “If the Japanese wish to continue peacefully and safely with their lives, they should avoid becoming strategic war accessories of the U.S.” The newspaper also commented, “The U.S.’ deployment aggression with armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region is a dangerous move that is increasing the possibility of a war in Northeast Asia. U.S. troops and their bases stationed in Japan are the prime reason behind a possible war that could erupt in Japan.”
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040923/ap/d8598uig0.html
Thursday September 23, 4:54 PM
South Korea: North Korean patrol boat violates sea border
A North Korean patrol boat violated a U.N.-drawn western sea border on Thursday and briefly entered waters controlled by South Korea, the South Korean military said. The boat sailed 0.7 mile (1 kilometer) into South Korean waters for about 10 minutes while chasing away Chinese fishing boats poaching in the region, said the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The North Korean ship returned to communist waters without incident, it said. North Korea does not recognize the western sea border demarcated by the United Nations at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Its navy boats have often encroached upon South Korean waters, occasionally prompting the Southern navy to respond with warning shots. The rival navies fought deadly gunbattles in the region in 1999 and 2002. In early September, South Korea amended its navy operational directives so that its warships won't fire warning shots at Northern vessels crossing the border because of bad weather or with no hostile intent.
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=39C46F19-E5D3-4200-B7ACEAC0AA1883DD&title=Concern%20Mounts%20That%20North%20Korea%20May%20Be%20Planning%20Missile%20Test
Concern Mounts That North Korea May Be Planning Missile Test
Steve Herman
Tokyo
23 Sep 2004, 10:29 UTC
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There is concern in Japan and South Korea that North Korea might be preparing to launch a ballistic missile. Officials in both Japan and South Korea say that since Tuesday, they have detected signs of activity around a suspected launch site for North Korea's Rodong missiles.Media reports in both countries on Thursday said intelligence satellites and radio transmissions indicate an increase of personnel and equipment at the site. However, it is not clear if North Korea is preparing to actually launch a missile or is conducting an exercise simulating a launch.In Seoul, Deputy Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo told reporters that his government is trying to confirm what is taking place.Mr. Rhee says it is likely the missile units are conducting a routine annual drill but the possibility of an actual launch cannot be ruled out. A spokesman at Japan's Foreign Ministry says the situation is "not at a stage where a formal statement is warranted" - a reference to media reports that there is no indication liquid fuel has been loaded into any missiles.News reports say Japan has dispatched an Aegis-equipped destroyer and surveillance aircraft to the Sea of Japan to monitor the situation. In recent years North Korea has carried out similar drills that were apparently simulated launches. Last year, it also test fired several short-range anti-ship missiles.The Rodong missiles can strike much of Japan. North Korea has a larger missile, which it fired over Japan in 1998, unnerving officials in Tokyo.North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, pledged to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi two years ago that Pyongyang would freeze missiles launches "in and after 2003." Earlier this month, South Korean reports that a large explosion had taken place in North Korea sparked fears that Pyongyang had been preparing a missile launch or had tested a nuclear device. Later, however, South Korean officials said their intelligence analysts appeared to have been wrong, and no major blast had occurred.The reports of activity near the missile site come amid an impasse between North Korea and five other nations over holding a fourth round of talks about the communist state's nuclear weapons programs. Talks involving both Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia had been planned for late this month in Beijing.