Free Republic

Andrei Lankov writes on ridiculously grandiose treatment of Rodong Sinmun in North Korea This is a good example of one of Kim Jong Il and his father's obsessions - an example of a not atypical narcissistic grandiosity. Accidentally fold or damage a page of newspaper (or money) carrying Kim Jong Il or his fathers name or likeness, and you get sent to a place where you will probably DIE!(Korea Times) Face Value of Rodong Sinmun In October 1997, relations between the two Koreas ran into a crisis. This crisis was so serious that North Korea temporarily halted the construction of...

THE US government has warned Tokyo that North Korea has positioned 200 medium-range Rodong missiles to target Japan, a report said today, quoting a foreign ministry official here. Washington had earlier told Tokyo that Pyongyang already possessed small nuclear warheads that could be mounted in ballistic missiles, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. The Rodong has an estimated range of 1300 kilometres, which makes it capable of hitting anywhere in Japan. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported today that North Korea had told the United States it had completed reprocessing spent fuel rods to extract plutonium for nuclear weapons.

North Korea may test-fire longer-range missile this year: expert TOKYO, Feb 7 (AFP) - North Korea may test-fire this year a long-range Taepodong-2 missile which could be capable of reaching parts of the continental United States, a Japanese defence analyst said Friday. Hideshi Takesada, a professor at the National Institute for Defence Studies, said the hardline Stalinist state had conducted new missile tests every five years. "There is a possibility it may launch a Taepodong-2 this year," said Takesada, one of Japan's leading analysts on North Korean military affairs. His institute is a main research arm of Japan's Defence...