N. Korea Missile Test Raises New Fears
By SOO-JEONG LEE, Associated Press Writer
2 hours ago
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea apparently test fired a missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, raising new fears about Pyongyang's nuclear intentions just days after a U.S. intelligence official said the secretive Stalinist state had the ability in theory to arm a missile with a nuclear warhead.
News of the test launch first appeared in Japanese media reports, citing U.S. military officials as having informed the Japanese and South Korean governments of the test launch which took the missile about 65 miles off the North Korean coast. Later, the White House chief of staff confirmed the incident in an interview with CNN's "Late Edition."
"It appears that there was a test of a short-range missile by the North Koreans and it landed in the Sea of Japan. We're not surprised by this. The North Koreans have tested their missiles before. They've had some failures," Andrew Card told the cable network.
On Thursday, Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the U.S. Senate that the North Koreans knew how to arm a missile with a nuclear weapon, a potentially significant advance for the communist state.
He did not specify whether he was talking about a short-range or long-range missile, the latter believed capable of hitting the United States.
Two defense officials later said that U.S. intelligence analysts believe North Korea is several years away from being able to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile that could reach the United States from the Korean Peninsula.
The Sunday test-firing occurred on the eve of a crucial gathering at the United Nations to review global progress on curbing nuclear proliferation. North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 2003. The United States, however, is expected to seek a consensus for tough action against the North Koreans as well as the Iranians - both accused by Washington of having nuclear weapons or ambitions to build them - during the U.N. session.
North Korea has test fired short-range missiles many times in the past. In 2003, it test fired short-range land-to-ship missiles at least three times during a period of heightened tension over its nuclear weapons program.
The Sunday test, however, occurred at an especially worrisome time as the North appeared to have resumed efforts to move forward with its nuclear weapons program. South Korean officials said last month that Pyongyang had recently shut down a nuclear reactor, possibly to harvest more weapons-grade plutonium.
North Korea shocked the region in 1998 by test-firing a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. The North said that was an attempt to put a satellite in orbit.
U.S. and South Korean officials are more concerned about a possible North Korean test of a Taepodong-2 missile, which analysts believe is capable of reaching parts of the western United States, though there are widespread doubts about its reach and accuracy.
Washington says North Korea is a top global exporter of missile parts and technology.
The Japanese Cabinet in February approved legislation that would allow the defense chief to order the military to shoot down incoming missiles.
Six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions have been stalled since last June.
This is one country that un-nerves me more than Saddam ever did. Although I really think we should just sit this one out and let the Chinese or Russians pork them.
We were planning on building a missile defense system here in the US, but we didn't know if it would work--this would be a perfect opportunity to test it. Set up economic sanctions against NK and build a missile defense system designed to keep missiles IN NK, not away from it. Then, we simply wait until the government collapses; if they try to launch a nuke we've got the perfect opportunity to test the defense systems, plus the amount of publicity generated by the event would easily get pretty much all civilized nations ready to send in ground forces. 'Course, I'm probably way out in left field here...
Here's the problem. One reason anyone is loth to take military action against NV is the fact they have thousands of artillary tubes along the dmz that are within lobbing distance of Seoul. Now with a short range missle (who the SK's foolishly state as not amounting to much as it is short range) NK can now not only threaten SK but also Japan. NK has very cunningly used the ability to destroy Seoul as a invasion preventative, now they (NK) has added the catchet of reaching out to Japan as further insurance against invasion. The bloom on top the thorny stem is NK will be able to mount a nuke on their "only a short range" missle and I'm sure the land of the rising sun remembers very well being the land of the rising mushroom cloud.
Consider this. How long do you think it will take NK to start selling nuclear devices to any who can afford them?
We need to take him out soon before he gets more powerful and gets any more bright ideas. Just cut with the bulshit and let it be overwith soon, because the longer we wait the more powerful he may become. Who knows what capability he may get from now until its too late. We need to take him out NOW while they are still weak. Starving them out aint going to do ★■◆●. There should be a coalition of Russians and the China Army against NK and rid the BS once and for all. If we wait, it will be harder. They pulled out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty for a reason. Why else would they pull out? Just cuz' they didnt feel like it?
Oh yea, a missle defense system would be a great idea to impliment.
Top Wop wrote:We need to take him out soon before he gets more powerful and gets any more bright ideas....
I don't think he can get much more powerful unless he doesn't have the ability to send a nuke long distance yet. Logistically he's not worth the sacrifice to clean him out of his hole.
Whether or not he has 5 or 500 missiles with war heads really wont matter much because if he reaches the point where we believe he's armed and ready like the U.S.S.R. was we'll have to be prepared to total him at the first sign of him launching. He'll never get off the full load before we destroy him.
The only thing is if he starts shipping nukes to other unfriendlies, then we might do something proactive.
We already intercepted Korean missile shipments headed to the middle east during the build up to the Iraq war....
Yea, considering the missile defense tests have failed the last few times, I don't think trusting that system to stop an inbound nuke would make everyone feel safe. Pull people back from the DMV and thermobaric bomb the entire stretch.
The last thing S. Korea has to worry about is the defense systems along the 38th parrallel. Most, if not all are outdated, poorly supplied, undermaintained, with hardly any spare parts to fix anything that might fail. So if they do try to use them against S. Korea, it might be more effective if they threw rocks and pointy sticks at S.Korea. My opinion is based on a freind who just retired from the army and was stationed for the past 10 years in S.Korea. He was a helicopter pilot that flew most of his time on the 38th parrallel.
