A propaganda video posted on YouTube by the North Korea government shows a missile launch and a city that appears to be New York, in flames. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Published at 3:30 a.m. ET: SEOUL, South Korea -- New York under missile attack is a remote dream for impoverished North Korea, yet that is precisely what the latest propaganda video from the isolated state shows as it readies a third nuclear test.
The video, posted on the semi-official Uriminzokkiri website, shows a U.S. city in flames in scenes reminiscent of 9/11 -- part of a dream sequence in which a photographer circles the earth in a fictionalized North Korean space shuttle.
The rocket depicted in the crude animation, whose backing track is an instrumental version "We Are the World", is labelled the Unha-9 and the satellite shown is the Kwangmyongsong-21, as the young man dreams of photographing the Earth from space.
"Black smoke is seen somewhere in America," the Korean text of the video says. "It seems that the nest of wickedness is ablaze with the fire it started."
The video was removed from YouTube due to a copyright claim by Activision Games Inc., from whose "Call of Duty" title the images of the burning city appeared to have been taken, but was still accessible elsewhere on the Web.
So far, North Korea has launched the Unha-3 rocket and is also on the third version of its satellite, which finally made it into space in December at the third attempt, triggering the new sanctions from the United Nations.
The North is banned by the United Nations from developing missile and nuclear technology but says that it has the sovereign right to a peaceful space program.
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A North Korean space shuttle is beyond the wildest dreams of a country whose economy is smaller than it was 20 years ago and where around a third of children are malnourished.
Despite its bluster and threats to the United States, which the North labels a "hostile" state, Pyongyang is nowhere near being able to deliver a warhead of any kind capable of hitting an American city, although its Unha-3 rocket does have a theoretical range of 6,200 miles which could reach the U.S. mainland.
North Korea has trailed plans to carry out a third nuclear test, which experts believe is imminent. It could use highly enriched uranium for the first time in a bid to conserve its limited stocks of plutonium used in tests in 2006 and 2009.
Washington has warned that a third test would trigger more sanctions against Pyongyang, but it took a conservative line on the latest agit-prop video from North Korea.
"I've seen it," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a press conference in Washington, referring to the video that was released at the weekend. "I'm clearly not going to dignify it by speaking about it here."
North Korea remains technically at war with both South Korea and the United States after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Its hyperactive propaganda machine has threatened on many occasions to turn the South Korean capital Seoul into a "sea of fire" and it has also labelled South Korean President Lee Myung-bak a "rat bastard" and staged mock killings of him.
The latest video, which by Wednesday had been viewed more than 250,000 times on the Live Leak website, ends denouncing the "schemes of imperialists to isolate and oppress us."
"They will not be able to stop our journey toward the final victory," is says.
Related:
Pyongyang's propaganda poets stay true to their muse despite world's laughter
Show of force: US, South Korea hold naval drills amid North's nuclear threats
North Korea: Sanctions by South would be 'declaration of war'
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That' it! I'm cancelling my summer vacation trip to North Korea.....I hear Iran is just beautiful this time of year..........
F'em. Treat them like we would any other terrorist state.
Our video shows Obama dancing in the White House as a Drone with a 100 megaton Nuclear Bomb lands on the Little Fat Shwimp.
Don't worry about North Korea hitting New York with a missile - worry about them smuggling a bomb in through Mexico, shipping it to NY or DC, and setting it off. Between North Korea and the muslim hordes, there are plenty of people willing and able to do it - just a matter of time. Flatten NK while you still can. And with Dick-tator Obama's new no-trial policy, all it takes is him or Holder to say "kill" and it is done! No congressional review, no judges hearing, just Obama deciding that someone is a threat - so show us your cojones, or is Kim and NK NOT a threat?
If they have a rocket that can reach this far which is doubtful and if so probably not accurate enough but even so should they launch a rocket our way then annihilation would be the response or should be.
Cool... Get rid of N.Y. city and N.Korea at the same time and the world would be a little bit better of a place...
Can we make it Hollywood instead.
Why don't we send a drone to take out the little "evil Pokémon" ? Is he not a known threat just like his father ?
If the press didn't publish this crap no one would know or care! This turd only does this to get attention. Take the attention away and you are left with nothing but a turd!
Has that little runt in North Korea actually hit puberty yet?
Actually, like their missiles, he tried to hit puberty and missed.
Time to squash this bug. A demonstration of the best nuclear devices in the world, by the folks that invented them, and the only nation to use them in anger. North Korea's noise is like a mouse threatening a tiger. End it.
I can easily see why their doing this with whats in the white house
Why doesn't president Obummer, er, Obammer, er, Obama yeah I think that's it, Obama sounds right, anyway why doesn't he and Nancy pelliousioullyeee or whatever that other America hating constitution ignoring commie liberal thing from California just draft and pass a law that makes it illegal to own a nuclear bomb? That way those North Korean's would say ,(Just as the majority of Americans are going to do) Aw shucks we cant have a bomb now, its against the law, we'll have to turn it in! Don't mind killing people and raping and stealing but cant even think about breaking a law that says we cant have a gun, that would be just too scary! Don't mind breaking the law that says you cant kill people but cant even imagine breaking a law against having a gun!
Surprise! Surprise! China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, has the same film, they just want what they think is good for their people, more US capital!
Its as frightening as the crap spewed from Nat. Geo, Discovery, History channe, H2 etc. All owned by R. Murdoc.
I hope their rocket tech outshines their CG. Pretty impressive graphics for 1992.
Time to get Kerry involved, send him over to give Kim a kiss and hug and apologize for being decedents of pigs and Apes!
North Korea, Will never get a nuke to the USA. The USA has the capability to shoot down ANY incoming missile. However, the chances are high the the USA will allow such a launch, and deliberately allow it to hit the USA. In order to launch an attack on its own citizens by implementing Martial Law.
This is just a worse case scenario, Doubt our Gov. would allow such a thing to happen.
If Obozo would work on foreign policy, instead of trying to disarm law abiding citizens, after all isn't that what his job should be? We need a true leader not some socialist muslim dictator want to be. I hope you small minded liberals are happy with your king.
It is news because you ran out of other propaganda .How about some constructive articles on unification of Korean people-oh, it would not be to keep us in the Constant State Of Alarm and the armament industry would not make huge profits. Is that it ? TV watching of endless war propaganda is getting people out of balance.
The only thing disturbing about this stupid video is that MSN finds it disturbing. Remmber that half of North Korea could be dead and rotting and they would pump out news about how 'glorious' life is there. They have been at it for decades. They are the toddler of the international community, when they feel like no one is paying attention to them they throw a tantrum.
Sorry about the children, but its time to use food as a weapon and starve the entire country into surrender.
I'm sure our current leaders can be depended on to do nothing until they really have the ability to hit us like that. It is time to truly isolate these dangerous regimes to the point of nationwide starvation. Then their people will rise up against their government, or at least be so decimated as to cost their leaders the forced labor that they are used for.
Well, let's look at it this way - North Korea is one of three remaining countries that don't have a Rothschild owned central bank. In the year of 2000 there were seven countries without a Rothschild owned Central Bank: Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Iran.
The only countries left in 2011 without a Central Bank owned by the Rothschild Family are:
Cuba
North Korea
Iran
Now try to tell yourself that this video was actually created by the North Korean government and not just World Banker propaganda. Wake up people... you are programed every day just like a computer, and you gladly take it.
I have no idea if their dearest leader (or whatever they are calling the little new guy) understands whom he is dealing with here. More than a hundred year ago Teddy forged the current US policy of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. Nobody in recent memory applied this policy like the current administration. You never hear any screaming or shouting from anyone, in the meanwhile, they had no problem with eliminating anyone whom they perceive as a threat.
These video, like their sissy rocket launch is just a little propaganda tool for their domestic consumption