North Korea Readies to Launch Missiles
The United States plans to join Japan in a sharp response if the -*test*-('") goes ahead. Washington has warned Pyongyang against the launch in a message passed to North Korean diplomats at the United Nations but there was no response, American officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Pyongyang could still decide to scrap the launch, but that was unlikely given the complexity of siphoning fuel back out of a missile prepared for launch. The -*test*-('") is expected to involve a Taepodong-2 missile with an estimated range of 2,175 to 2,670 miles (3,500 to 4,300 kilometers). At that range, parts of Alaska in the United States would be within reach as well as Asia and Russia. North Korea lacks an operational missile that can hit the continental United States, the California-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said in a recent report. Nonetheless it would be Pyongyang's first -*test*-('") of a long-range missile since it stunned the world in August 1998 by firing a Taepodong-1 over Japan that fell into the Pacific Ocean. U.S. officials have watched with alarm as satellite photos showed launch preparations accelerating at the Musudan-ri missile facility in North Hamgyong province in North Korea's northeast. The New York Times, quoting American officials, reported on its Web site that booster rockets were loaded onto a launch pad and fuel tanks fitted to a missile. This could not be confirmed, but U.S. and other officials have said satellite images show fuel tanks and key components of a missile positioned at the -*test*-('") site. The South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo quoted a Seoul government official as saying the launch could be imminent. "We think North Korea has poured liquid fuel into the missile propellant built in the missile launching pad. It is at the finishing stage before launching" but the South Korean government did not know if fueling was completed, he said. Experts say if the missile is not launched 48 hours after fueling, the fuel will start to break down and damage the missile. The -*test*-('") preparations came as six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear programs are stalemated. If they -*test*-('"), the North Koreans "undoubtedly would bring upon themselves tougher sanctions from Japan and a cooling (in relations) from South Korea and China so it's not cost free for them, but it suggests they are not happy where they are in terms of the six-party process," said Michael Green, a former senior Asia adviser to President Bush. Pyongyang now regrets a joint statement adopted by the six countries participating in the negotiations -- the United States, South and North Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- which requires it to give up its atomic ambitions, he said. It is also unhappy with a U.S. crackdown on financial transactions involving cash earned by the North through illegal activities like currency counterfeiting, he said. Daniel Pinkston of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies said the launch would be portrayed glowingly in official North Korean media and show the country as advancing its military and scientific prowess. Some of North Korea's leaders may not be too worried about the response from Washington because "they see the U.S. as doing everything already it can to punish North Korea," Pinkston added. American and Japanese "assets" -- including satellites and a U.S. guided missile ship -- have been moved into position to serve as long-range surveillance and tracking platforms. Washington and its allies were caught off guard when Pyongyang last -*test*-('")ed a missile eight years ago and they are determined to be ready this time to gather critical intelligence on the North's capabilities. And that's from a real article, kudos to nox for finding it.
The United States plans to join Japan in a sharp response if the -*test*-('") goes ahead. Washington has warned Pyongyang against the launch in a message passed to North Korean diplomats at the United Nations but there was no response, American officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Pyongyang could still decide to scrap the launch, but that was unlikely given the complexity of siphoning fuel back out of a missile prepared for launch. The -*test*-('") is expected to involve a Taepodong-2 missile with an estimated range of 2,175 to 2,670 miles (3,500 to 4,300 kilometers). At that range, parts of Alaska in the United States would be within reach as well as Asia and Russia. North Korea lacks an operational missile that can hit the continental United States, the California-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said in a recent report. Nonetheless it would be Pyongyang's first -*test*-('") of a long-range missile since it stunned the world in August 1998 by firing a Taepodong-1 over Japan that fell into the Pacific Ocean. U.S. officials have watched with alarm as satellite photos showed launch preparations accelerating at the Musudan-ri missile facility in North Hamgyong province in North Korea's northeast. The New York Times, quoting American officials, reported on its Web site that booster rockets were loaded onto a launch pad and fuel tanks fitted to a missile. This could not be confirmed, but U.S. and other officials have said satellite images show fuel tanks and key components of a missile positioned at the -*test*-('") site. The South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo quoted a Seoul government official as saying the launch could be imminent. "We think North Korea has poured liquid fuel into the missile propellant built in the missile launching pad. It is at the finishing stage before launching" but the South Korean government did not know if fueling was completed, he said. Experts say if the missile is not launched 48 hours after fueling, the fuel will start to break down and damage the missile. The -*test*-('") preparations came as six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear programs are stalemated. If they -*test*-('"), the North Koreans "undoubtedly would bring upon themselves tougher sanctions from Japan and a cooling (in relations) from South Korea and China so it's not cost free for them, but it suggests they are not happy where they are in terms of the six-party process," said Michael Green, a former senior Asia adviser to President Bush. Pyongyang now regrets a joint statement adopted by the six countries participating in the negotiations -- the United States, South and North Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- which requires it to give up its atomic ambitions, he said. It is also unhappy with a U.S. crackdown on financial transactions involving cash earned by the North through illegal activities like currency counterfeiting, he said. Daniel Pinkston of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies said the launch would be portrayed glowingly in official North Korean media and show the country as advancing its military and scientific prowess. Some of North Korea's leaders may not be too worried about the response from Washington because "they see the U.S. as doing everything already it can to punish North Korea," Pinkston added. American and Japanese "assets" -- including satellites and a U.S. guided missile ship -- have been moved into position to serve as long-range surveillance and tracking platforms. Washington and its allies were caught off guard when Pyongyang last -*test*-('")ed a missile eight years ago and they are determined to be ready this time to gather critical intelligence on the North's capabilities. And that's from a real article, kudos to nox for finding it.