A S. Korean Soldier Taking Water from Yalu River upon Reaching the River in Fall, 1950.
Posted on 06/17/2006 1:05:02 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
New Taepodong on launch pad
06/17/2006
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The government Friday played down U.S. intelligence reports suggesting North Korea may be gearing up to launch a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile.
Japanese officials said they had received reports that a Taepodong 2 missile capable of hitting the U.S. West Coast had been set up on a launch pad in Musudanri in Hamgyongbuk-do, a province in the northern part of North Korea.
Some senior officials said it was possible the missile could be launched as early as Sunday. However, others saw the development as another example of North Korea's brinkmanship.
Even so, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe warned that the move was in violation of the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration in which North Korean leader Kim Jong Il agreed to extend a missile freeze.
Officials said there was no sign that the missile, which was brought to the launch pad this week, had been fueled.
"If a ballistic missile is launched, it would directly affect the security of our nation and would be against the Pyongyang Joint Declaration signed between Japan and North Korea," Abe said Friday.
A senior government official noted that Abe's words constituted "an open warning" to Pyongyang.
North Korea lobbed a Taepodong over Japan in August 1998 that landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Some government officials suggested Pyongyang was adopting a hostile posture in a bid to break the impasse in negotiations with Washington.
Pyongyang has already said it wants to invite Christopher Hill, chief delegate to the six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, to Pyongyang.
"It could very well be Pyongyang's strategy to raise tension so that it can bring Washington to a forum of dialogue," said a government source.
Still, officials are monitoring the situation closely. They calculate it would take about 24 hours to fuel the missile, making it ready for launch.(IHT/Asahi: June 17,2006)
Would they launch it this Sunday? Ping!
The Taep'o-dong-2 (TD-2) is said to be a two or three stage missile. North Korea has given various names to the Taep'o-dong missile, such as No-dong-3, Hwasong (Mars)-2 and Moksong (Jupiter)-2. Over time, the estimated range has grown substantially. It was initially estimated to have a range of 4,000 km, but is currently estimated to have a range of up to 15,000 km. The throw weight is variously estimated as between a few hundred kilograms to 1,000 kg, depending on the range.
No; it's more plausible that Lil' Kim is upset with and jealous of all the press attention that the nutcases in Iran and Latin America are getting.
They can hit us, we can hit them.
U.S. State Dept. did mention "self-defense." It would be interesting to watch this event unfold.
Cross posting additional link/thread:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1650963/posts
North Korea furious after U.S. exposes missile test prep
WorldTribune.com (excerpt) ^ | June 16, 2006
Posted on 06/17/2006 12:27:11 AM PDT by HAL9000
Excerpt -
SEOUL — U.S. reconnaissance planes have sniffed out how close the North Koreans are coming to test-firing a Taepodong II missile, which could reach the west coast of the United States.
The success of U.S. spy flights off the east coast of North Korea, in the view of analysts here, explains why North Korea last weekend threatened to shoot down planes that intruded into its air space.
U.S. and South Korean intelligence sources noted the language of the North Korean threat was considerably stronger than the usual almost ritualistic accusations concerning U.S. spy flights. Unlike previous rhetorical blasts, this was attributed directly to the Air Force Command of the Korean People’s Army, not to a foreign ministry spokesman or media commentary.
~ snip ~
(Excerpt) Read more at worldtribune.com ...
The launch of this missile might provide a good test of our ABM systems....after all, how would we really know if this launch was a "real test or a first strike"!
Cross posting additional link/thread:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1650972/posts
North Korea may tie possible missile test to satellite launching
Kyodo News (Japan) ^ | June 17, 2006
Posted on 06/17/2006 1:26:56 AM PDT by HAL9000
North Korea has been working to determine an artificial satellite orbit since earlier this year in an apparent bid to cover up its possibly imminent test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile, military intelligence sources said Saturday.
Pyongyang plans to announce the orbit of what it calls a satellite after it test-fires the missile so as not to draw flak from such countries as the United States, the sources told Kyodo News.
On Thursday, a U.S. administration official said North Korea has stepped up its preparations for test-firing a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile in the past 48 hours and may be ready for a launch in a few days.
North Korea has to date kept to the moratorium on missile launches it agreed with the United States in 1998 after it fired a multistage missile, part of which flew over Japan into the Pacific Ocean, in August that year.
Pyongyang maintains the 1998 launch was a rocket for sending a satellite into orbit.
If it breaks the moratorium and fires the missile, it could derail the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program and lead to a crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
The six-party talks -- involving China, Japan, South and North Korea, Russia and the United States -- have been stalled since the fifth round in November due to Pyongyang's refusal to return to the table.
Pyongyang maintains that it will not resume talking unless Washington removes the sanctions against a Macao-based bank for allegedly distributing counterfeit U.S. dollars and laundering money for North Korea.
That is their predictable cover.:)
OPIONION: N. Korea is not known for telling the truth.
Cross posting additional link/thread:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1650973/posts
N. Korean Missile Crisis Rising(Launch Between 18th & 19th)
Yonhap News ^ | 06/17/06
Posted on 06/17/2006 1:48:52 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
/begin my excerpt
N. Korean Missile Crisis Rising
Intelligence agencies of S. Korea, U.S., and Japan all agreed that N. Korea could test-fire their missile as early as 18th.
A diplomatic source in Seoul commented on 17th (of June), "N. Korea could launch their missile between 18th and 19th. S. Korea, U.S., and Japan all agreed that the launch is more likely than no-launch." It added, "If N. Korea fails to launch by 20th, it would be safe to assume that they won't."
/end my excerpt
(Excerpt) Read more at yonhapnews.co.kr ...
We have things to blow up. They have little of value for us to hit.
bttt
bttt
That is a great photo
except for kim jong himself that is
It is.
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