US renews N Korea missile warning
North Korea's missiles are based on Scud technology
The US has again warned North Korea against testing a new missile believed to be capable of reaching the US, amid fears it may be launched this weekend.
A US state department spokesman said a missile test would be "provocative" and urged Pyongyang to return to six-party talks aimed at nuclear disarmament.
The US would do all that was needed to "monitor the situation" and to "protect ourselves", the spokesman said.
North Korea caused shock when it last tested a long-range missile in 1998.
Pyongyang's Taepodong 1 missile, with a range of 2,000km (1,250 miles) flew over Japan in August 1998 and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Diplomatic deadlock
US officials citing surveillance reports said they believed North Korea was preparing to test a new inter-continental ballistic missile with an estimated range of 6,000km (3,500 miles).
North Korea says it has nuclear weapons
Officials are quoted as saying a launch of the Taepodong 2 missile could take place as early as this weekend.
In Washington, state department spokesman Sean McCormack said such a launch would place North Korea further down a path of isolation.
The spokesman said the North Koreans should "focus their energies and their activities" on returning to six-party talks, which also include China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
"We have a variety of national technical means that we could use to monitor the situation," he said.
"We, of course, will take necessary preparatory steps to track any potential activities and to protect ourselves," he added.
Mr McCormack said a missile test would violate a commitment made by North Korea in 1998 to avoid such activities.
A diplomatic process aimed at helping North Korea relinquish its nuclear programme has been stalled since last year, when North Korea pulled out of the talks citing American financial pressure.
Correspondents say North Korea may be using the missile threat to try to break the deadlock.
They say its demands have been largely ignored while Washington has focused on the nuclear challenge from Iran.
North Korea has meanwhile accused a US spy plane of violating its airspace by flying over its north-eastern coast on Friday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5089476.stm
Full Version: Us Renews N Korea Missile Warning
Watch also Iran and Assyria.
QUOTE(onetiggerroo @ Jun 16 2006, 09:30 PM)
US renews N Korea missile warning
North Korea's missiles are based on Scud technology
The US has again warned North Korea against testing a new missile believed to be capable of reaching the US, amid fears it may be launched this weekend.
A US state department spokesman said a missile test would be "provocative" and urged Pyongyang to return to six-party talks aimed at nuclear disarmament.
The US would do all that was needed to "monitor the situation" and to "protect ourselves", the spokesman said.
North Korea caused shock when it last tested a long-range missile in 1998.
Pyongyang's Taepodong 1 missile, with a range of 2,000km (1,250 miles) flew over Japan in August 1998 and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Diplomatic deadlock
US officials citing surveillance reports said they believed North Korea was preparing to test a new inter-continental ballistic missile with an estimated range of 6,000km (3,500 miles).
North Korea says it has nuclear weapons
Officials are quoted as saying a launch of the Taepodong 2 missile could take place as early as this weekend.
In Washington, state department spokesman Sean McCormack said such a launch would place North Korea further down a path of isolation.
The spokesman said the North Koreans should "focus their energies and their activities" on returning to six-party talks, which also include China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
"We have a variety of national technical means that we could use to monitor the situation," he said.
"We, of course, will take necessary preparatory steps to track any potential activities and to protect ourselves," he added.
Mr McCormack said a missile test would violate a commitment made by North Korea in 1998 to avoid such activities.
A diplomatic process aimed at helping North Korea relinquish its nuclear programme has been stalled since last year, when North Korea pulled out of the talks citing American financial pressure.
Correspondents say North Korea may be using the missile threat to try to break the deadlock.
They say its demands have been largely ignored while Washington has focused on the nuclear challenge from Iran.
North Korea has meanwhile accused a US spy plane of violating its airspace by flying over its north-eastern coast on Friday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5089476.stm
[right][snapback]67472[/snapback][/right]
North Korea's missiles are based on Scud technology
The US has again warned North Korea against testing a new missile believed to be capable of reaching the US, amid fears it may be launched this weekend.
A US state department spokesman said a missile test would be "provocative" and urged Pyongyang to return to six-party talks aimed at nuclear disarmament.
The US would do all that was needed to "monitor the situation" and to "protect ourselves", the spokesman said.
North Korea caused shock when it last tested a long-range missile in 1998.
Pyongyang's Taepodong 1 missile, with a range of 2,000km (1,250 miles) flew over Japan in August 1998 and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Diplomatic deadlock
US officials citing surveillance reports said they believed North Korea was preparing to test a new inter-continental ballistic missile with an estimated range of 6,000km (3,500 miles).
North Korea says it has nuclear weapons
Officials are quoted as saying a launch of the Taepodong 2 missile could take place as early as this weekend.
In Washington, state department spokesman Sean McCormack said such a launch would place North Korea further down a path of isolation.
The spokesman said the North Koreans should "focus their energies and their activities" on returning to six-party talks, which also include China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
"We have a variety of national technical means that we could use to monitor the situation," he said.
"We, of course, will take necessary preparatory steps to track any potential activities and to protect ourselves," he added.
Mr McCormack said a missile test would violate a commitment made by North Korea in 1998 to avoid such activities.
A diplomatic process aimed at helping North Korea relinquish its nuclear programme has been stalled since last year, when North Korea pulled out of the talks citing American financial pressure.
Correspondents say North Korea may be using the missile threat to try to break the deadlock.
They say its demands have been largely ignored while Washington has focused on the nuclear challenge from Iran.
North Korea has meanwhile accused a US spy plane of violating its airspace by flying over its north-eastern coast on Friday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5089476.stm
[right][snapback]67472[/snapback][/right]
You know I had a dream about N. Korea severla years ago...and its being ignored. Just keep praying.
Oh blimey, trouble is erupting everywhere.
Rice warns North Korea on missile test By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer
32 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned North Korea on Monday it will face consequences if it test-fires a missile thought to be powerful enough to reach the West Coast of the United States.
For the rest....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060619/ap_on_.../nkorea_missile
32 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned North Korea on Monday it will face consequences if it test-fires a missile thought to be powerful enough to reach the West Coast of the United States.
For the rest....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060619/ap_on_.../nkorea_missile
N.Korea 'a Button-Click' from Launching Missile
Warnings that North Korea appears close to test-firing an intercontinental missile are escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea appears to have completed injecting liquid fuel into a long-range ballistic missile, the final stage before the launch, intelligence authorities in the U.S. and Korea said Sunday. That signals a turning point this week since the missile should either be fired or the fuel removed within 24 hours of fuel injection. All that remains is ¡°the click of a button,¡± a Foreign Ministry official said.
But bad weather near Musudanri, North Hamgyong Province where the launch pad is deployed is reportedly making it difficult to conduct an immediate test launch of the Taepodong 2-type missile. ¡°It¡¯s likely that weather conditions will remain unfavorable to a test on Monday,¡± a military official said.
The government on Sunday urged North Korea to refrain from test-firing the missile while the U.S. is reportedly pressuring the North through China. Whether that works will be the key to the issue, experts say.
Washington said Friday it will not sit idle. ¡°We, of course, will take necessary preparatory steps to track any potential activities and to protect ourselves,¡± State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Such ¡°protective steps¡± are presumed to include intercepting the missile at an early stage with Aegis destroyers in the East Sea.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso warned if the missile is dropped on Japan, ¡°it will be regarded as an attack." Tokyo says it will refer the matter to the UN Security Council for sanction.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0606190006.html
Warnings that North Korea appears close to test-firing an intercontinental missile are escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea appears to have completed injecting liquid fuel into a long-range ballistic missile, the final stage before the launch, intelligence authorities in the U.S. and Korea said Sunday. That signals a turning point this week since the missile should either be fired or the fuel removed within 24 hours of fuel injection. All that remains is ¡°the click of a button,¡± a Foreign Ministry official said.
But bad weather near Musudanri, North Hamgyong Province where the launch pad is deployed is reportedly making it difficult to conduct an immediate test launch of the Taepodong 2-type missile. ¡°It¡¯s likely that weather conditions will remain unfavorable to a test on Monday,¡± a military official said.
The government on Sunday urged North Korea to refrain from test-firing the missile while the U.S. is reportedly pressuring the North through China. Whether that works will be the key to the issue, experts say.
Washington said Friday it will not sit idle. ¡°We, of course, will take necessary preparatory steps to track any potential activities and to protect ourselves,¡± State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Such ¡°protective steps¡± are presumed to include intercepting the missile at an early stage with Aegis destroyers in the East Sea.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso warned if the missile is dropped on Japan, ¡°it will be regarded as an attack." Tokyo says it will refer the matter to the UN Security Council for sanction.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0606190006.html
3 Neighbors of North Korea Back U.S. Warning
SEOUL, June 19 — Tensions over North Korea's missile program escalated sharply today as Japan, Australia and New Zealand joined Washington in warning the the communist state not test an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say could reach parts of the United States.
The 115-foot Taepodong-2 missile stands ready to take off from Musudan-Ri, a remote village on the northeast coast of North Korea, after engineers apparently completed loading liquid fuel into its rocket boosters.
A successful test would provide the strongest indication yet that North Korea was developing the capacity to deliver chemical, biological or perhaps nuclear warheads to targets as far away as the continental United States.
Such a development would drastically increase international concerns over the regime's arsenal and its potential for working with terrorist groups.
"Even now, we hope that they will not do this," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan said today. "But if they ignore our views and launch a missile, then the Japanese government, consulting with the United States, would have to respond harshly."
J. Thomas Schieffer, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in Tokyo that Washington would seek action by the United Nations Security Council if there was a missile test.
"I think sanctions would have to be considered, but I wouldn't want to describe what actions we might take," Mr. Schieffer said. "I think we would regard it as a very, very serious matter, worthy of discussion and worthy of action by the Security Council."
Australia, one of the few Western countries with diplomatic relations with North Korea, said it had summoned the North Korean ambassador in Canberra and warned against a test.
"North Korea would be gravely mistaken if it thinks that a missile test would improve its bargaining position in the six-party talks," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
New Zealand's new envoy to North Korea will state her country's opposition to a test when she presents her credentials later this week in Pyongyang, said Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
In Seoul, South Korea's governing Uri Party urged North Korea to "not put its friend in danger" by testing a missile. The missile test could also thwart a planned trip by the former president, Kim Dae Jung, who wants to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang this summer.
South Korea also said today that tensions over missiles would not stop the two Koreas from opening economic talks Tuesday to discuss cooperation in an inter-Korean industrial complex in the North, a project South Korean officials have already said will continue.
Some analysts believe that North Korea will probably carry out a test to regain world attention that has been shifted to concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and to force the Bush administration to engage in direct negotiations with Pyongyang.
"If they have loaded the fuel, all they got left is a countdown," said Sohn Young Hwan, a former South Korean government missile expert who now works at Security Management Institute, a Seoul-based research agency affiliated with the National Assembly. "It means that they have pushed the situation to the very brink."
Mr. Sohn said he saw "a more than 90 percent chance" of North Korea testing the missile. Siphoning off the highly poisonous and corrosive liquid fuel from the missile to cancel a test is technically complicated, he said.
A successful test would make North Korean missiles more marketable to Iran and other clients in the Middle East.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/19/world/as...r=1&oref=slogin
SEOUL, June 19 — Tensions over North Korea's missile program escalated sharply today as Japan, Australia and New Zealand joined Washington in warning the the communist state not test an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say could reach parts of the United States.
The 115-foot Taepodong-2 missile stands ready to take off from Musudan-Ri, a remote village on the northeast coast of North Korea, after engineers apparently completed loading liquid fuel into its rocket boosters.
A successful test would provide the strongest indication yet that North Korea was developing the capacity to deliver chemical, biological or perhaps nuclear warheads to targets as far away as the continental United States.
Such a development would drastically increase international concerns over the regime's arsenal and its potential for working with terrorist groups.
"Even now, we hope that they will not do this," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan said today. "But if they ignore our views and launch a missile, then the Japanese government, consulting with the United States, would have to respond harshly."
J. Thomas Schieffer, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in Tokyo that Washington would seek action by the United Nations Security Council if there was a missile test.
"I think sanctions would have to be considered, but I wouldn't want to describe what actions we might take," Mr. Schieffer said. "I think we would regard it as a very, very serious matter, worthy of discussion and worthy of action by the Security Council."
Australia, one of the few Western countries with diplomatic relations with North Korea, said it had summoned the North Korean ambassador in Canberra and warned against a test.
"North Korea would be gravely mistaken if it thinks that a missile test would improve its bargaining position in the six-party talks," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
New Zealand's new envoy to North Korea will state her country's opposition to a test when she presents her credentials later this week in Pyongyang, said Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
In Seoul, South Korea's governing Uri Party urged North Korea to "not put its friend in danger" by testing a missile. The missile test could also thwart a planned trip by the former president, Kim Dae Jung, who wants to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang this summer.
South Korea also said today that tensions over missiles would not stop the two Koreas from opening economic talks Tuesday to discuss cooperation in an inter-Korean industrial complex in the North, a project South Korean officials have already said will continue.
Some analysts believe that North Korea will probably carry out a test to regain world attention that has been shifted to concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and to force the Bush administration to engage in direct negotiations with Pyongyang.
"If they have loaded the fuel, all they got left is a countdown," said Sohn Young Hwan, a former South Korean government missile expert who now works at Security Management Institute, a Seoul-based research agency affiliated with the National Assembly. "It means that they have pushed the situation to the very brink."
Mr. Sohn said he saw "a more than 90 percent chance" of North Korea testing the missile. Siphoning off the highly poisonous and corrosive liquid fuel from the missile to cancel a test is technically complicated, he said.
A successful test would make North Korean missiles more marketable to Iran and other clients in the Middle East.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/19/world/as...r=1&oref=slogin
My first thought when I read this topic was a dream thread posted a while back. Maybe it's nothing, but here is the link.
http://www.christian-forum.net/index.php?showtopic=532&hl=
http://www.christian-forum.net/index.php?showtopic=532&hl=
http://washingtontimes.com/national/200606...23010-4554r.htm
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
One reason for the concerns about a launch is that North Korea has issued threatening statements through its official press and broadcast organs that it is ready to go to war with states such as Japan and the United States that impose economic sanctions.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
One reason for the concerns about a launch is that North Korea has issued threatening statements through its official press and broadcast organs that it is ready to go to war with states such as Japan and the United States that impose economic sanctions.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
N Korea defies missile pressure
North Korea has said it is free to carry out a long-range missile test, defying international calls not to do so, Japan's Kyodo news agency says.
"This issue concerns our autonomy. Nobody has a right to slander that right," a foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by Kyodo.
The official denied the North was bound by earlier agreements not to launch.
The US has said a North Korean test of its nuclear-capable Taepodong-2 missile would be a "very serious matter".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5098984.stm
North Korea has said it is free to carry out a long-range missile test, defying international calls not to do so, Japan's Kyodo news agency says.
"This issue concerns our autonomy. Nobody has a right to slander that right," a foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by Kyodo.
The official denied the North was bound by earlier agreements not to launch.
The US has said a North Korean test of its nuclear-capable Taepodong-2 missile would be a "very serious matter".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5098984.stm
I had a short dream/vision a cuople weeks ago... I heard "my child" and then a missle with a smoky tail came right for me... then it was over. When I first read of the NK thing... I got all hot and nauseated... now I have the urge that I need to say something to everyone I know...
Wary of N. Korea, U.S. activates defense system
Officials fear Pyongyang is preparing test of long-range missile
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13361343/
Officials fear Pyongyang is preparing test of long-range missile
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13361343/
Don't you find it a tad ironic that we get into a big crisis situation and everybody is stopped by a cloudy day. Boy! all the technology and we can't use any of it because it's overcast. 
Aren't we powerful 
U.S. activates interceptors, may shoot down N. Korean missile
By Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
Poor weather conditions above where the missile site was located by U.S. intelligence satellites indicates that an immediate launch is unlikely, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
However, intelligence officials said preparations have advanced to the point where a launch could take place within several days to a month.
Two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling near North Korea as part of the global missile defense and would be among the first sensors that would trigger the use of interceptors, the officials said yesterday.
The U.S. missile defense system includes 11 long-range interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials said.
One senior Bush administration official told The Washington Times that an option being considered would be to shoot down the Taepodong missile with responding interceptors.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added that any launch would be a serious matter and "would be taken with utmost seriousness and indeed a provocative act."
White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to comment when asked if shooting down a launched missile was being considered as an option.
President Bush had telephoned more than a dozen heads of state regarding North Korea's launch preparations, Mr. Snow said. He did not identify the leaders who were called by Mr. Bush.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. has made it clear to North Korea that the communist regime should abide by the missile-test ban it imposed in 1999 and reaffirmed in a pact with Japan in 2002.
"The United States has a limited missile defense system," Mr. Whitman said. He declined to say if the system is operational or whether it would be used.
"U.S. Northern Command continues to monitor the situation, and we are prepared to defend the country in any way necessary," said spokesman Michael Kucharek.
Any decision to shoot down a missile would be made at the highest command levels, which includes the president, secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Japan and South Korea are trying to avert a launch.
"Even now, we hope that they will not do this," Mr. Koizumi said. "But if they ignore our views and launch a missile, then the Japanese government, consulting with the United States, would have to respond harshly."
John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Bush administration is consulting with other Security Council members on how to respond to a Taepodong launch.
In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said North Korea's ambassador had been summoned and told any missile launch would result in "serious consequences."
U.S. intelligence officials said there are signs that the North Koreans recently began fueling the Taepodong with highly corrosive rocket fuel. Normally, when liquid fuel is loaded into missiles the missile must be fired within five to 10 days, or it must be de-fueled and the motors cleaned, a difficult and hazardous process.
The Taepodong was first tested in August 1998, and North Korea claimed that it was a space launch vehicle that orbited a satellite. U.S. intelligence officials said the last stage of the missile was powered but did not reach orbit. A new test would likely be a more advanced version.
"Our concerns about missile activity in North Korea are long-standing and well-documented," said Mr. Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman.
The test preparations began several weeks after the Bush administration imposed new rules on U.S. companies that prohibit American or foreign firms incorporated in the United States from flying North Korea's flag on merchant ships.
According to the Treasury Department, Korean War-era sanctions were loosened in 2000 in order to entice North Korea into abiding by the missile flight test ban.
One reason for the concerns about a launch is that North Korea has issued threatening statements through its official press and broadcast organs that it is ready to go to war with states such as Japan and the United States that impose economic sanctions.
Aren't we powerful U.S. activates interceptors, may shoot down N. Korean missile
By Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
Poor weather conditions above where the missile site was located by U.S. intelligence satellites indicates that an immediate launch is unlikely, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
However, intelligence officials said preparations have advanced to the point where a launch could take place within several days to a month.
Two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling near North Korea as part of the global missile defense and would be among the first sensors that would trigger the use of interceptors, the officials said yesterday.
The U.S. missile defense system includes 11 long-range interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials said.
One senior Bush administration official told The Washington Times that an option being considered would be to shoot down the Taepodong missile with responding interceptors.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added that any launch would be a serious matter and "would be taken with utmost seriousness and indeed a provocative act."
White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to comment when asked if shooting down a launched missile was being considered as an option.
President Bush had telephoned more than a dozen heads of state regarding North Korea's launch preparations, Mr. Snow said. He did not identify the leaders who were called by Mr. Bush.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. has made it clear to North Korea that the communist regime should abide by the missile-test ban it imposed in 1999 and reaffirmed in a pact with Japan in 2002.
"The United States has a limited missile defense system," Mr. Whitman said. He declined to say if the system is operational or whether it would be used.
"U.S. Northern Command continues to monitor the situation, and we are prepared to defend the country in any way necessary," said spokesman Michael Kucharek.
Any decision to shoot down a missile would be made at the highest command levels, which includes the president, secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Japan and South Korea are trying to avert a launch.
"Even now, we hope that they will not do this," Mr. Koizumi said. "But if they ignore our views and launch a missile, then the Japanese government, consulting with the United States, would have to respond harshly."
John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Bush administration is consulting with other Security Council members on how to respond to a Taepodong launch.
In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said North Korea's ambassador had been summoned and told any missile launch would result in "serious consequences."
U.S. intelligence officials said there are signs that the North Koreans recently began fueling the Taepodong with highly corrosive rocket fuel. Normally, when liquid fuel is loaded into missiles the missile must be fired within five to 10 days, or it must be de-fueled and the motors cleaned, a difficult and hazardous process.
The Taepodong was first tested in August 1998, and North Korea claimed that it was a space launch vehicle that orbited a satellite. U.S. intelligence officials said the last stage of the missile was powered but did not reach orbit. A new test would likely be a more advanced version.
"Our concerns about missile activity in North Korea are long-standing and well-documented," said Mr. Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman.
The test preparations began several weeks after the Bush administration imposed new rules on U.S. companies that prohibit American or foreign firms incorporated in the United States from flying North Korea's flag on merchant ships.
According to the Treasury Department, Korean War-era sanctions were loosened in 2000 in order to entice North Korea into abiding by the missile flight test ban.
One reason for the concerns about a launch is that North Korea has issued threatening statements through its official press and broadcast organs that it is ready to go to war with states such as Japan and the United States that impose economic sanctions.
Thanks Miki! GOD is still in control! LOL! 
QUOTE(Miki @ Jun 21 2006, 05:29 PM)
Don't you find it a tad ironic that we get into a big crisis situation and everybody is stopped by a cloudy day. Boy! all the technology and we can't use any of it because it's overcast. Aren't we powerful
U.S. activates interceptors, may shoot down N. Korean missile
By Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
Poor weather conditions above where the missile site was located by U.S. intelligence satellites indicates that an immediate launch is unlikely, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
However, intelligence officials said preparations have advanced to the point where a launch could take place within several days to a month.
Two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling near North Korea as part of the global missile defense and would be among the first sensors that would trigger the use of interceptors, the officials said yesterday.
The U.S. missile defense system includes 11 long-range interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials said.
One senior Bush administration official told The Washington Times that an option being considered would be to shoot down the Taepodong missile with responding interceptors.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added that any launch would be a serious matter and "would be taken with utmost seriousness and indeed a provocative act."
White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to comment when asked if shooting down a launched missile was being considered as an option.
President Bush had telephoned more than a dozen heads of state regarding North Korea's launch preparations, Mr. Snow said. He did not identify the leaders who were called by Mr. Bush.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. has made it clear to North Korea that the communist regime should abide by the missile-test ban it imposed in 1999 and reaffirmed in a pact with Japan in 2002.
"The United States has a limited missile defense system," Mr. Whitman said. He declined to say if the system is operational or whether it would be used.
"U.S. Northern Command continues to monitor the situation, and we are prepared to defend the country in any way necessary," said spokesman Michael Kucharek.
Any decision to shoot down a missile would be made at the highest command levels, which includes the president, secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Japan and South Korea are trying to avert a launch.
"Even now, we hope that they will not do this," Mr. Koizumi said. "But if they ignore our views and launch a missile, then the Japanese government, consulting with the United States, would have to respond harshly."
John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Bush administration is consulting with other Security Council members on how to respond to a Taepodong launch.
In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said North Korea's ambassador had been summoned and told any missile launch would result in "serious consequences."
U.S. intelligence officials said there are signs that the North Koreans recently began fueling the Taepodong with highly corrosive rocket fuel. Normally, when liquid fuel is loaded into missiles the missile must be fired within five to 10 days, or it must be de-fueled and the motors cleaned, a difficult and hazardous process.
The Taepodong was first tested in August 1998, and North Korea claimed that it was a space launch vehicle that orbited a satellite. U.S. intelligence officials said the last stage of the missile was powered but did not reach orbit. A new test would likely be a more advanced version.
"Our concerns about missile activity in North Korea are long-standing and well-documented," said Mr. Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman.
The test preparations began several weeks after the Bush administration imposed new rules on U.S. companies that prohibit American or foreign firms incorporated in the United States from flying North Korea's flag on merchant ships.
According to the Treasury Department, Korean War-era sanctions were loosened in 2000 in order to entice North Korea into abiding by the missile flight test ban.
One reason for the concerns about a launch is that North Korea has issued threatening statements through its official press and broadcast organs that it is ready to go to war with states such as Japan and the United States that impose economic sanctions.
[right][snapback]68151[/snapback][/right]
Aren't we powerful U.S. activates interceptors, may shoot down N. Korean missile
By Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
Poor weather conditions above where the missile site was located by U.S. intelligence satellites indicates that an immediate launch is unlikely, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
However, intelligence officials said preparations have advanced to the point where a launch could take place within several days to a month.
Two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling near North Korea as part of the global missile defense and would be among the first sensors that would trigger the use of interceptors, the officials said yesterday.
The U.S. missile defense system includes 11 long-range interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials said.
One senior Bush administration official told The Washington Times that an option being considered would be to shoot down the Taepodong missile with responding interceptors.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added that any launch would be a serious matter and "would be taken with utmost seriousness and indeed a provocative act."
White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to comment when asked if shooting down a launched missile was being considered as an option.
President Bush had telephoned more than a dozen heads of state regarding North Korea's launch preparations, Mr. Snow said. He did not identify the leaders who were called by Mr. Bush.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. has made it clear to North Korea that the communist regime should abide by the missile-test ban it imposed in 1999 and reaffirmed in a pact with Japan in 2002.
"The United States has a limited missile defense system," Mr. Whitman said. He declined to say if the system is operational or whether it would be used.
"U.S. Northern Command continues to monitor the situation, and we are prepared to defend the country in any way necessary," said spokesman Michael Kucharek.
Any decision to shoot down a missile would be made at the highest command levels, which includes the president, secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Japan and South Korea are trying to avert a launch.
"Even now, we hope that they will not do this," Mr. Koizumi said. "But if they ignore our views and launch a missile, then the Japanese government, consulting with the United States, would have to respond harshly."
John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Bush administration is consulting with other Security Council members on how to respond to a Taepodong launch.
In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said North Korea's ambassador had been summoned and told any missile launch would result in "serious consequences."
U.S. intelligence officials said there are signs that the North Koreans recently began fueling the Taepodong with highly corrosive rocket fuel. Normally, when liquid fuel is loaded into missiles the missile must be fired within five to 10 days, or it must be de-fueled and the motors cleaned, a difficult and hazardous process.
The Taepodong was first tested in August 1998, and North Korea claimed that it was a space launch vehicle that orbited a satellite. U.S. intelligence officials said the last stage of the missile was powered but did not reach orbit. A new test would likely be a more advanced version.
"Our concerns about missile activity in North Korea are long-standing and well-documented," said Mr. Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman.
The test preparations began several weeks after the Bush administration imposed new rules on U.S. companies that prohibit American or foreign firms incorporated in the United States from flying North Korea's flag on merchant ships.
According to the Treasury Department, Korean War-era sanctions were loosened in 2000 in order to entice North Korea into abiding by the missile flight test ban.
One reason for the concerns about a launch is that North Korea has issued threatening statements through its official press and broadcast organs that it is ready to go to war with states such as Japan and the United States that impose economic sanctions.
[right][snapback]68151[/snapback][/right]
Well think again Miki. The weapon was not tested before. No one knows whether it will intercept it or not.
Obey test ban, US tells N Korea
US President George W Bush has told North Korea to abide by agreements it has made to avoid testing missiles.
"This is not the way you conduct business in the world," the president said, adding that North Korean missile tests made people "nervous".
The US government has said North Korea seems to be moving towards testing a long-range missile which could have the range to reach US territory.
Pyongyang says it is no longer bound by a self-imposed moratorium on tests.
It argues that a ban on missile tests, dating from 1999, no longer applies as it is no longer in direct talks with Washington.
But it is also reportedly calling for talks with Washington to resolve the issue, which analysts say suggests North Korea is trying to use the row for wider, diplomatic purposes.
Mr Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said on Tuesday that North Korea appeared to be moving towards a missile launch, although "the intelligence is not conclusive at this point".
'Positive sign'
Speaking after an annual summit with EU leaders in Vienna, Mr Bush said: "The North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past and we expect them to keep their agreements, for instance on test launches."
"It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes who have announced they have nuclear warheads, fire missiles," he said.
President Bush said that he was "pleased" the Chinese government had also advised North Korea against testing the missile.
This is a "positive sign", he said, adding that Pyongyang must realise there are "certain international norms" to live by.
South Korea has also suggested it may suspend aid shipments to North Korea if the missile test goes ahead.
Amid growing pressure on Pyongyang, former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has cancelled a planned trip to the North Korean capital.
North Korea last tested a long-range missile in 1998 when it fired a Taepodong-1, with a range of 2,000km (1,200 miles), over northern Japan.
The US says North Korea implicitly agreed not to test-launch any new missiles at multi-party talks on its nuclear programme last year. But the six-party talks have been stalled for months.
How US missile shield works
Correspondents say North Korea may be now using the missile threat to try to break the deadlock, or as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
The White House has refused to say what action the US might take if the missile is launched.
According to the BBC's defence and security correspondent, Rob Watson, it is likely that the US has activated its still unproven and limited anti-missile defence system.
The system, which is based on linking radar and satellite information to nine interceptor missiles based in Alaska and California, has failed to take out a single missile in recent tests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5102850.stm
US President George W Bush has told North Korea to abide by agreements it has made to avoid testing missiles.
"This is not the way you conduct business in the world," the president said, adding that North Korean missile tests made people "nervous".
The US government has said North Korea seems to be moving towards testing a long-range missile which could have the range to reach US territory.
Pyongyang says it is no longer bound by a self-imposed moratorium on tests.
It argues that a ban on missile tests, dating from 1999, no longer applies as it is no longer in direct talks with Washington.
But it is also reportedly calling for talks with Washington to resolve the issue, which analysts say suggests North Korea is trying to use the row for wider, diplomatic purposes.
Mr Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said on Tuesday that North Korea appeared to be moving towards a missile launch, although "the intelligence is not conclusive at this point".
'Positive sign'
Speaking after an annual summit with EU leaders in Vienna, Mr Bush said: "The North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past and we expect them to keep their agreements, for instance on test launches."
"It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes who have announced they have nuclear warheads, fire missiles," he said.
President Bush said that he was "pleased" the Chinese government had also advised North Korea against testing the missile.
This is a "positive sign", he said, adding that Pyongyang must realise there are "certain international norms" to live by.
South Korea has also suggested it may suspend aid shipments to North Korea if the missile test goes ahead.
Amid growing pressure on Pyongyang, former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has cancelled a planned trip to the North Korean capital.
North Korea last tested a long-range missile in 1998 when it fired a Taepodong-1, with a range of 2,000km (1,200 miles), over northern Japan.
The US says North Korea implicitly agreed not to test-launch any new missiles at multi-party talks on its nuclear programme last year. But the six-party talks have been stalled for months.
How US missile shield works
Correspondents say North Korea may be now using the missile threat to try to break the deadlock, or as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
The White House has refused to say what action the US might take if the missile is launched.
According to the BBC's defence and security correspondent, Rob Watson, it is likely that the US has activated its still unproven and limited anti-missile defence system.
The system, which is based on linking radar and satellite information to nine interceptor missiles based in Alaska and California, has failed to take out a single missile in recent tests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5102850.stm
Life is life. If they can reach South Korea, it's just as bad as if they could reach America. If one man gets killed by violence, we should all weep for him and pray for his family. Heck, if Jong Il got blown up in some freak accident, I'm sure at least an exponentially small part of every Christian would weep, wether outwardly or not.
I'm not going to try and be all cool, and say 'stop te hate', because it seems to be the human condition these days, but honestly, I wish all of the crazy people would stop being buttholes and let people live til old age for once. Anyone have any idea how destitute itis in NK?
They eat rice out of the dirt. Not like, a spilled bag either. Just rice they get lucky enough to stumble upon. It's frickin sad. As much as my testosterone fueled male egho would like to say "Screw em, drop a few megatons of semtex on em", my heart says that children have no choice, and children raised to scream death to America will scream death to America. Adults raised the same way will teach thier kids the same thing. It's a sad, hateful cycle that we must accept as reality. None-the-less, NK is full of people created in Dad's image, and no matter how frickin stupid Il is, we have to remember that.
He's a murderer, so I propose a single .50 round to his dome-peice, and nutritional/medical aid to the rest of em. Oh yeah, and a newspaper or two to let em know what the rest of the world is like.
I'm not going to try and be all cool, and say 'stop te hate', because it seems to be the human condition these days, but honestly, I wish all of the crazy people would stop being buttholes and let people live til old age for once. Anyone have any idea how destitute itis in NK?
They eat rice out of the dirt. Not like, a spilled bag either. Just rice they get lucky enough to stumble upon. It's frickin sad. As much as my testosterone fueled male egho would like to say "Screw em, drop a few megatons of semtex on em", my heart says that children have no choice, and children raised to scream death to America will scream death to America. Adults raised the same way will teach thier kids the same thing. It's a sad, hateful cycle that we must accept as reality. None-the-less, NK is full of people created in Dad's image, and no matter how frickin stupid Il is, we have to remember that.
He's a murderer, so I propose a single .50 round to his dome-peice, and nutritional/medical aid to the rest of em. Oh yeah, and a newspaper or two to let em know what the rest of the world is like.
N Korea condemns US-South drills
US and South Korean troops hold joint exercises every year
North Korea has threatened to take pre-emptive action in response to US-South Korean military drills currently taking place in the region.
According to the official KCNA news agency, Pyongyang described the drills as "an undisguised military threat" and a "war action".
US and South Korean troops began the military exercises on Monday.
The drills are an annual event, and the North usually issues a strongly-worded statement against them.
But this year, tensions are higher than normal because of international anger at the North's recent decision to test-fire a series of missiles.
The US, which has had a military presence in South Korea since the end of World War II, currently has about 37,000 troops in the country, to complement the South's own force of 690,000.
North Korea has 1.2m troops, mostly stationed next to the heavily fortified border with the South.
Truce violation
The North Korean military "reserves the right to undertake a pre-emptive action for self-defence against the enemy, at a crucial time it deems necessary to defend itself", an army spokesman is quoted as saying by KCNA.
He added that the US-South Korean drills were a violation of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, because this armistice was never replaced by a formal peace treaty.
There is currently renewed international concern over North Korea.
It provoked an angry response when it test-fired seven missiles in July, and shows little sign of willingness to return to six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions.
In a sign of further tensions, US television network ABC reported recently that suspicious vehicle movements had been seen at a suspected North Korean test site, raising alarm about another possible test.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5273332.stm
US and South Korean troops hold joint exercises every year
North Korea has threatened to take pre-emptive action in response to US-South Korean military drills currently taking place in the region.
According to the official KCNA news agency, Pyongyang described the drills as "an undisguised military threat" and a "war action".
US and South Korean troops began the military exercises on Monday.
The drills are an annual event, and the North usually issues a strongly-worded statement against them.
But this year, tensions are higher than normal because of international anger at the North's recent decision to test-fire a series of missiles.
The US, which has had a military presence in South Korea since the end of World War II, currently has about 37,000 troops in the country, to complement the South's own force of 690,000.
North Korea has 1.2m troops, mostly stationed next to the heavily fortified border with the South.
Truce violation
The North Korean military "reserves the right to undertake a pre-emptive action for self-defence against the enemy, at a crucial time it deems necessary to defend itself", an army spokesman is quoted as saying by KCNA.
He added that the US-South Korean drills were a violation of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, because this armistice was never replaced by a formal peace treaty.
There is currently renewed international concern over North Korea.
It provoked an angry response when it test-fired seven missiles in July, and shows little sign of willingness to return to six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions.
In a sign of further tensions, US television network ABC reported recently that suspicious vehicle movements had been seen at a suspected North Korean test site, raising alarm about another possible test.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5273332.stm
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.