Free Republic

SNIPPET: "North Korea appears to have been digging two new tunnels at a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province since May, sparking fears that it is preparing for another nuclear test." SNIPPET: "Specialist website 38 North, which is run by Johns Hopkins University, said it discovered two new tunnel entrances and a mound of earth while analyzing satellite pictures of the test site taken on Wednesday."

2013/02/15 10:53 KST Increased activity at Musudan-ri indicates N. Korea preparing for another rocket launch SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- Recent progress in the construction of new facilities and a general increase in activity at North Korea's Musudan-ri launch site may be an indication that the belligerent nation might launch another rocket following the detonation of its third nuclear device, a Web site specializing in North Korean affairs said Friday. "Construction of new facilities at the Tonghae Satellite launching ground, previously disrupted by typhoons that ravaged the east coast last summer, has made important progress since late Oct. 2012," U.S....

Announced by Government of Japan, and press story out within the last hour. Link to Japanese HERE.This is probably pretty standard, more or less expected, and of course prudent. Japan National Security Council told to be ready from tomorrow morning for the provocation and to stay ready in Tokyo.Prime Minister Aso gave the word to Chief Cabinet Secretariat Kawamura on returning from UK/G-20 earlier today. Stated to the Prefectures of Akita and Iwate--in Northern Japan--to be particularly alert but calm and ready for anything. Final quote was "chances of missile coming down toward Japanese soil are small, but if it...

A Japanese rebroadcast tonight of North Korea TV. HERE is a link to Japanese site from Japanese TV which has short streaming video.Go there first, then hit the arrow in the little orange box, just below the screen shot photo of the rabid North Korean TV female announcer spitting forth the threat.

(U.S.) Conservatives Attack Obama over N.Korea American conservatives are closing ranks to attack President Barack Obama over its handling of North Korea's impending rocket launch. A video clip on the website of the conservative Heritage Foundation warns it will take just 33 minutes for a North Korean or Iranian long-range missile to reach the continental United States. The clip, titled "33 Minutes," features a statement by Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulne attacking the Obama administration for failing to protect its people from "the enemy." Rep. Darrell Issa, a ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,...

As expected (and they do tend to shoot off their mouths a lot with threats and big talk), North Korea delivered "the threat" tonight in an official statement out of their Korean Central News Agency (link to the original Japanese language report). North Korea is threatening Japan with military action if Japan takes down their Taepodong-2 (which they refer to as a "satellite") from the skies this week.Conservative Japanese daily Sankei (online) reports from Japan (in Japanese) a little while ago:HERE If above link does not work.

Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States "was not prepared to do anything about" North Korea's rocket launch, which is expected to take place in the coming days. Gates' latest comments differ from what he said on Feb. 10, that the U.S. could intercept North Korea's missile "if necessary." On Mar. 19, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile and added that the U.S. military has the capability to do it. Judging from the situation so far, the...

North Korea has threatened dire consequences if the international community sanctions it over a rocket launch it has announced for between Apr. 4 and 8. The official Rodong Shinmun newspaper on Sunday said once the rocket issue is "raised at the UN Security Council for discussion, the six-party nuclear talks will come to a complete rupture." It warned the North will "take a stronger measure." Prof. Nam Joo-hong of Kyonggi University speculated that means North Korea "could reverse its nuclear disablement process, while hinting it could conduct a second nuclear test." Arthur Brown, a former CIA officer for East Asia,...

(Top News):North Korea, observed through various methods of investigation, has now completed all launch preparations for the 3,500 mile-range Taepodong-2.Japanese TV (Window Media Player 300k streams below), report on (16) that the multi-staged rocket has been positioned on the launch pad in Musudan-ri, along North Korea's northeast Coast on the Sea of Japan. Refueling of the Taepodong-2 ICBM, capable of hitting US territory, has been completed. Japan is on alert and US bases in Korea and Japan are also in a heightend state of observation. The rocket test could occur as soon as in a few days' time. Other...