Good to see you were paying attention
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)
Good to see you were paying attention
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.