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Subscribe to RSSSEOUL, South Korea - North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its west coast on Thursday believed to be part of a test to upgrade capabilities, said news reports published on Friday, quoting South Korean military officials.
North Korea has raised tensions in recent weeks by announcing it would launch a rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but regional powers are urging Pyongyang to drop the plan, saying it would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
North Korea launched two short-range missiles believed to be surface-to-ship missiles from its west coast Thursday morning, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted government officials as saying.
"The launch is believed to be to upgrade missile capabilities and not related directly to the North's long-range missile launch," the newspaper quoted a military official as saying.
Another mainstream newspaper JoongAng Ilbo published a similar report.
South Korea's office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to confirm the reports, citing its policy of not speaking publicly on matters involving intelligence activities.
Reclusive North Korea has said it is merely sending a weather satellite into space, but South Korea and the United States say it is a disguised ballistic missile test.
The secretive North has twice tested a nuclear device, but experts doubt whether it yet has the ability to miniaturize an atomic bomb to fit inside a warhead.
The North has said the launch would take place between April 12 and 16. The planned launch, which has even drawn criticism from ally China, will mark the 100th birth anniversary of state founder Kim Il-sung.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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North Korea's leader and elite are interested in only one thing...Confrontation. It's time to shut them off from the world community and watch their people revolt and turn Kim into steaks and short ribs. It's amazing what hunger will do to the masses.
There is reason for hope that young Kim will turn things around in North Korea. If North Korea can actually get a satellite up into space that would really be something. If the effort should fail, sadly it would not be the first rocket to let a Nation down.
No. Their primary objective is to stay in power, alive. For that, it is necessary to show the people that he is in control, and there are foreign threats. Firing missiles is one of the ways to do so, plus nuclear tests, and firing artillery shells to the south. But in the mean time, he needs food for his troops. So he fires, and beg for food, promising never to fire again, and fires...
I agree with Cida. Furthermore, staying in power, ALIVE, also means not pushing the line too far on what America and South Korea will tolerate in military aggression. People who talk about the potential of North Korea to lob nuclear weapons at America are kidding themselves; their entire country would be vaporized in retaliation for ruining one or two cities.
In addition, North Korea IS shut off from the world community, save a few holdout rogue nations (and China, which I guess technically isn't a "rogue" nation). A rebellion is a nice fantasy, since an incredible amount of force and resources are used to prevent revolt from ever happening. And then there's that million-man army...
They have been shut down via strict sanctions for quite some time. The sanctions have not yielded the desired results to date. Which is the lesson to be learned in dealing with Iran. Iran is in a much better position to weather sanctions than NK ever was. So best to put an end to Iran's program before they have the means to assemble. Because once they do there will no stopping them.
Strict sanctions ? What strict sanctions if China will ship them whatever they need ?
KingK, you are mistaken. Iran has a far richer and more advanced society, but that society isn't isolated from the global community. Rather than Iran being able to "weather" sanctions, Iran has a lot more to lose from sanctions than North Korea ever did. That, and their people aren't NEARLY as badly oppressed as the N Koreans, and can very easily turn on their leaders if discontent rumbles for too long.
SF
Then why haven't sanctions worked? And where are the internal uprisings in Iran? How long are we supposed to wait around, while the Iranian continue their work, to determine if sanctions are going to work? Its been years already. And when we wake up one day to find out that Iran has gone ahead and tested a bomb, just like what happened with NK, then what? Obama's plan B containment strategy?
Well, for one thing, sanctions have only recently been tightened to the point that it affects oil exports, which Iran's government depends on for its military funding and social programs.
But beyond that I don't have any answers for you. I wasn't trying to vouch for a certain approach toward Iran, I was simply articulating the difference between the two countries; the situations and problems we have in dealing with the two aren't similar at all beyond the fact that we just don't want nuclear weapons threatening our allies.
Ok I respect your view point on that. We simply differ on that point as to what that means for the outcome of sanctions.
US has imposed sanctions on Cuba since 1959 and it did not work. US has imposed sanctions on Syria, Iran and NK and they will not work.
US has been unfairly using her financial and military clout to impose her will and intimidate nations that do not tune in withher wishes and/or agenda. The so-called international communites( UK and EU) do not truly represent the international community but are merely US lap dogs obediently follow the lead of their master.
The North Koreans will do whatever pleases them, since they do not fully understand the weight of force that can be brought against them should they ever actually attempt to deploy a nuclear weapon on any kind of conveyance. Their total isolation has kept most of the military there in the same mindset with which they ceased fighting in the 1950's. They have spies and connections abroad, but still do not understand the extent that technology has bypassed them, and they do not have a clue as to what it is they are actually doing. This is why it is important to keep our own high tech ideas away from China, since China is a direct pipeline for technology to Pyongyang, and China has not had an original idea since about 1965.
But they do understand what is going on. What they are doing are shows for the internal market: North Korean People. This is how Brother Kim shows the world how strong he is, and is afraid of nothing, US included. And Brother Kim needs your help in fighting off the rest of the world eyeing eagerly at the riches of North Korea.
If North Korea "really" needs a weather satellite put into space then why do they not contract it out to the Russians or Chinese to put it into orbit for them? This way they would be able to receive their food and get the weather!
North Korea doesn't want to contract out the same reason US is still shooting many satellites themselves - what if your best friend becomes your worse enemy ?
Weather satellite. Ha.
The only institution in North Korea with the technology and money to build a postage meter, never mind a satellite, is the military. If this is a satellite launch, that satellite has military applications.
Not that we really need to be throwing a fit over it, but South Korea and Japan have reason to be nervous.
Hopefully the N Koreans will use a Chinese compass that directs the firing of the missiles toward Pyongyang. Might wake the fools up.
Axis of evil, sounds to me like.