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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Richard Engel visits a state-run apple orchard, a breeding house for turtles and an apple juice factory.
North Korea is planning to launch a new satellite within the next week. While North Korea insists that the launch of the Unha-3 rocket will merely put a weather satellite into space, U.S. and international officials are not so sure. They suspect they may be testing a long-range missile.
North Korea invited the international media to come witness the launch and other festivities in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
Richard Engel, NBC News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent, is in Pyongyang, North Korea reporting on the launch. He answered reader questions about the launch and what he’s seen of life in the reclusive country earlier today. The questions and his answers are quite interesting.
Click on the box below to replay the chat.
North Korean space officials say they will go along with a planned rocket launch this week. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
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Richard - Great reporting always from you! Are you allowed much contact with the person "on the street" or is every interview tightly controlled?
If the rocket explodes on the launchpad (as many "first-run", "well-built" American rockets have, How shall this reflect on the North Korean regime? Would they even run the footage on the state controlled television?
Stupendous reporting! Everyone I know is getting the "wow" factor out of your stories. Do you get a sense that North Korea is giving a subtle kind of opening to less frosty relations with the West on this unique trip? A quiet kind of opening, like ping pong diplomacy with China in the 1970s?
Mr. Engel: Why haven't you shouted from the roof tops day after day how the news media is so slanted that reporting isn't going on but lies, deceit, and cover-ups. How come the racist in this country are the liberals and they get passes. How come you don't report it was the right (republicans) under their President that pushed for the freedom of the african american people. I am sick hearing and seeing the continued lies of a president going uncensored with the news media. Question: How did Hitler come into power and what part did the news media play in his rise. Hey: class war fare starts with, is fed by, and puked up by the left. Hey: isn't Harry Reid a morman. Doesn't Obama lie or is he above lying. You may email me at richblanche@hotmail.com
And your little tantrum pouty post has what to do with this story? Please take your meds prior to any further posts.
My husband was in South Korea last year. He went to the DMZ and saw a bullet-ridden train car used for prisoner exchanges. His tour guide said the river between north and south was like a wildlife preserve because nobody interferes with the birds. He also saw soldiers from the north through binoculars. Did you see the DMZ from the north? What's it like?
I saw the satellite on Maddow last night... Is there any means for the thing to self-correct its flight? Or is it just meant to test the capability to put something up?
It's a joke. Unless North Korea has made quantum leaps in solar power technology, there are maybe enough cells on that thing to power a digital camera. That thing probably has as much weather-monitoring capability as a third-grader with an umbrella... if it's functional at all. And as you said, with no visible means of attitude adjustment, that thing will MAYBE get a few good orbits before it decays and reenters, if it attains orbit at all.
The north koreans have allowed western journalists to view their missile sites and they have explained they are for space but we have put the caveat on that they can potentially do more (carry weapons)given this scenario what should we do--we rushed to war in Baghdad because of potential for weapons of mass destruction and ended up taking the lives of many American soldiers and and Iraq's--are we stoking the fire by paying attention to these despots who are seeking publicity?
Richard- so glad you are able to be there. Do you see any women and how are they dressed?
Thanks Richard, always. Is it possible to get any idea whether what you're seeing
is a viable society? Or the carcature sometimes presented
Why do we live in a society that parallels North Korea where the destruction of anyone-using our global pile of @!$%# -a military satellite system that can emulate mental conditions and accelerate physical ones via the most sickening suffering -and concealed with war time investigations-is suppressed with a DOD effort through the media while as much potential for consequence is accumulated along our alternate reality that needs to stretch out over the same nation interest language North Korea would use-while proof of extraterrestrial life is giggled away as markets fall after Obama's gerbils let human rights collapse around them to keep the simplest economic theories held together...
...at the end of the day the slimy Director of my FBI should thank their leadership for keeping him off death row because they do everything in their nation's interest to but without the crushing and false perception that it is on behalf of the people-making nations like this cause to take away what is most important from every American -they do not have as much world wide leverage to slaughter life on behalf of interest...
I would like a mature discussion on how our military grade satellite slaughters life at home along a military standard lower than North Korea with punishment higher than North Korea -at an individual level- with all activity being as shameful with as much potential for consequence as possible using nations like this as an excuse...
Everyone knows what North Korea is and they do not have the power and control to make the destruction of anyone Dear leader pleases to look like it is their fault along a rock solid and captured surface...
I would also like a mature discussion why extraterrestrials are trying to influence us toward a better end and how the DOD can use the platform that was in response to me telling people I was the victim of a war crime - their strategy that got to much traction-to suppress and create as much potential for consequence in reference to this little topic...
Please make it happen...
In short, well past my DOD's own rock solid-but slightly more effective and transparent controls over all information that suppresses knowledge people are baked from the inside out to maintain the perception we are a democracy to make it easier to lay covert vital interest underlays to protect other people's interests (I don't own a single share of BP or Exon) what is the difference between our two nation's except the pointless consequence that was accumulated using nations like this as an excuse to look the other way toward the most shameful war crimes known to man where the longer people have the same program running through their own heads -causing the reactions and outcomes they are seeing- the farther their head turns away in these inference heavy environments that no lawful proof can escape from...
...all we are now is a high end gated section of this sick nation because we are even worse with how we dispose of our own using them as the thinnest excuse to do the unthinkable where they have the same national interest weight we do under the surface...
Does anyone have the feeling that North Korea is about to do something assertive and bold. Things don't make sense here at all! The North Koreans have invited the international community into their country to observe this satellite launch (odd). Most of the reports about the satellite have state that it looks cheaply and poorly made and the North Koreans are allowing people to walk right up to it and touch it (odd). We have not mentioned the behavioral consistency of North Korea; they love to test the international community to see what types of response they endure. I don't think they are opening up!! I think they are preparing to do some thing major. I think we are being distracted (or ambushed) and our curiousity is drawing us right into it!! Kim Jong Un is about to daddy slap someone and the whole world is watching.
Just look at it this way...Every single person on the street is under a generalized "national security" (say it with orgasm) investigation and not can comment on the sophisticated pretext to catch a bad guy even though it shuts their mouth for life in reference the what the worst suspicions are of what they really contributed too...
We are a much more frightening society where the harder and thinner our controlled surface gets the more that can be dismissed-to include full blown concealed marshal law-much more effective than anything overtly up and running over there...
Just one big investigation that never occurred...nothing to see...keep moving...
Our space race was a race against the Soviet Union to build ICBMs. Why would NKs be any different?
Personally I took my meds today! Unlike many of you chicken little's my thoughts are that NK is touting this missle for just as they say it is. First let me ask the posters of this forum who are stating possible nuclear war heads hidden as such..Would you put a war head in a rocket that you were not sure could get off the ground? How brilliant would that actually be? Gets 1000 feet up and fizzles dropping that warhead right on your own country? Why else would NK be doing this? Why are they showing all these journalists everything? What did Hitler do? One of his primary modes of intimidation was parading his troops and weapons down the streets for the entire world to see..To fear the regime! My belief is that NK is doing this just to try to show the world they are not out of the power game that they also should be feared as a player instead of just a backward little country that can't even feed it's people. NK has always wanted to be feared have they not? What makes any of you believe this would change?
As far as those who continually slam the USA government and Obama..Try a new bandwagon..If you believe he is doing such a bad job and you have such great ideas then why are you not running for president? I am not an Obama supporter by far or in any sense of the word...but been there done that...time to try something else dont you think? Let me ask one question...How many coorporations do you know that change CEO's every 4 years? If you do know of even one..How is that coorporation doing? So what makes anyone at all think that when we change leaders every four years that they will do so much better. In my entire life I have never seen one president that can satisfy the entire population...so please...stop complaining!!!!