North Korea defies international protests, fires 7 missiles

[Bean]

Tokyo - North Korea's launch of seven missiles into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday has triggered a storm of international reaction, including immediate sanctions imposed by Japan and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

The seventh missile was fired hours after North Korea early Wednesday test-fired at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, believed to be capable of reaching the US West Coast.

The long-range missile, which failed in mid-air within one minute of launch, was the third out of six tests carried out Wednesday morning, the White House confirmed. The other tests were of Nedong and Skud medium and short-range missiles, all of which landed in the Sea of Japan.

The UN Security Council was expected to hold an emergency meeting Wednesday morning in New York, to discuss the international community's response to the missile tests. The closed UN session was requested by Japan.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe criticized North Korea's actions as a violation of its agreement with Japan on a missile-launch moratorium, adding that Japan may also regulate fund remittances to North Korea depending on Pyongyang's future moves.

The only direct passenger ship between Japan and North Korea, the ferry Mangyongbong-92, was banned from landing in Japanese ports for six months.

The ship had been scheduled to harbour at Niigata port Wednesday, but was forced to stay anchored off the Sea of Japan coast, south of Tokyo. The government plans to allow Japanese nationals and Korean residents of Japan aboard the ferry to disembark.

At the Japanese port, people gathered to protest the North Korea's launch of the missiles.

US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley called the tests 'provocative behaviour,' but added that they marked 'no immediate threat' to the US.

'The United States strongly condemns these missile launches and North Korea's unwillingness to heed calls for restraint from the international community,' White House press secretary Tony Snow said in a statement.

South Korea expressed 'deep regret' over the launch. 'The missile firings will further worsen inter-Korean relations, as well as North Korea's international isolation,' said a government spokesman.

The US, South Korea and Japan all had suspected North Korea was fuelling a Taepodong-2 missile, with an estimated range of more than 6,000 kilometres and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to parts of the United States.

Countries in the region, as well as the US, had repeatedly warned North Korea against such a test launch, threatening serious repercussions. Japan and the US had threatened economic sanctions should the missile launch go ahead.

'The North's missile launch is a serious threat in that it is part of the development of a tool to transport weapons of mass destruction, not just from the perspective of international law,' South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon told reporters at a press briefing.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard condemned North Korea's missile launches and urged China to exert pressure on its reclusive neighbour to get six-party talks back in session.

'It's an extremely provocative act by North Korea,' Howard said. 'Australia wants North Korea to go back immediately to the six-party talks.'

North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States are the six parties represented at the stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear and missile programme.

The tests made negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programme more difficult, said Russia's Foreign Ministry.

'The rocket launch clearly does not contribute to building trust in the region,' ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said in Moscow.

China's foreign ministry and state media made no comment on the missile tests, with state media merely reporting reaction to the tests by the United States, Japan and other nations.

North Korea in 1998 shocked the region by firing without warning a long-range Taepodong-1 missile over the Japanese island, landing in the Pacific Ocean, but had agreed to a moratorium on missile testing in 1999.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/a...e_1178069.php/

[Ender]

way to be on top of things...

[The Real Rick Springfield]

all day when i saw this on the news i kept thinking of the flash cartoon "end of the world."

FIRE ZEE MISS-ILES!!!

john

[e-brake]

Originally Posted by Edwin Watson

my favorite part is where Tony Snow came out and said that NK was not the subject of the NSC briefing this morning...Cuba was...LOL. He went on to further emphasize the point by saying something along the lines of ...

"If Kim Jong-Il's intention was to escalate this to a presidential level, he failed miserably."



My response is WHAT THE HELL!!!! A known rogue state with a lunatic for a leader that also has nukes just tested its long range missiles that can hit the west coast of the US and the president is getting briefings on Cuba (??) and not even talking about NK?

OMFG - I hope we live till the next election....

I was reading a story this morning that said Kim in NK is a satellite TV junkie and that he fixates on CNN. So the lack of reporting/response from the government was an intentional response to show him that we dont give a shit....leading to a 7 missile cry for attention that was ignored.


If true that would be the first smart thing this administration has done yet.

[transplant]

Originally Posted by john_vella

all day when i saw this on the news i kept thinking of the flash cartoon "end of the world."

FIRE ZEE MISS-ILES!!!

john

But I'm le tired

[Dionysos]

I just fired off a missile in the bathroom, and I bet the cubicle community will file a formal protest in a matter of minutes since they're next to the can.

[Tortures Dionysos]

Originally Posted by Dionysos

I just fired off a missile in the bathroom, and I bet the cubicle community will file a formal protest in a matter of minutes since they're next to the can.

Well, you can appease the restless with your OUST!


Anyways... someone answer me this... does this mean we have to go start a war with another country? We told them not to do it... and they did it (fired the missles)... so... does this mean we attack?

I hope not.

[Dionysos]

Originally Posted by Karen

Well, you can appease the restless with your OUST!


Anyways... someone answer me this... does this mean we have to go start a war with another country? We told them not to do it... and they did it (fired the missles)... so... does this mean we attack?

I hope not.

NK does it for the attention and because it gets them more international aid.

Here's how it usually goes:
NK: WE HAVE THE BOMB AND WE WILL USE IT
UN: How about some bags of rice?
NK: WE MAY NOT USE THE BOMB AFTER ALL

Besides, we don't invade countries with nukes. We never have, we probably never will.

[Tortures Dionysos]

Originally Posted by Dionysos

NK does it for the attention and because it gets them more international aid.

Here's how it usually goes:
NK: WE HAVE THE BOMB AND WE WILL USE IT
UN: How about some bags of rice?
NK: WE MAY NOT USE THE BOMB AFTER ALL

Besides, we don't invade countries with nukes. We never have, we probably never will.

Well, they don't have a bunch of oil, so we probably don't care that much about them... eh?

[e-brake]

Originally Posted by Karen

Well, you can appease the restless with your OUST!


Anyways... someone answer me this... does this mean we have to go start a war with another country? We told them not to do it... and they did it (fired the missles)... so... does this mean we attack?

I hope not.

If we go by our typical logic we should be invading India any minute in response to the North Korea launch.

[Dionysos]

Originally Posted by Karen

Well, they don't have a bunch of oil, so we probably don't care that much about them... eh?

Pretty much.

[Rufus Punk]

Originally Posted by e-brake

If we go by our typical logic we should be invading India any minute in response to the North Korea launch.

"Hello, this is Rajiv, I mean, Bob, waiting to assist you with your Windows operati. . . .aaaiighhhhhh!!!"

[tricky]

Originally Posted by rufuspunk

"Hello, this is Rajiv, I mean, Bob, waiting to assist you with your Windows operati. . . .aaaiighhhhhh!!!"

nail hammer head

[Zeonfiend]

I'm still trying to figure out why everything believes North Korea has nukes just because the North Koreans say they do. I mean, call me crazy, but until they actually test one (and it's impossible to hide a nuclear test detonation), I see no need to get all pandemonium-driven over it.

[The Real Rick Springfield]

Originally Posted by rufuspunk

"Hello, this is Rajiv, I mean, Bob, waiting to assist you with your Windows operati. . . .aaaiighhhhhh!!!"

"All operators are busy at the moment. Your current hold time is the half-life of Uranium..."

john