N.Korea may be preparing missile launch - reports

sandy

Active member
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea may be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile that could reach parts of the United States, Japanese media reports said on Friday, but Japan's government said it did not believe a launch was imminent. Quoting unidentified South Korean government officials, public broadcaster NHK said satellite pictures showed there have been signs since early this month around a site in northeastern North Korea that pointed to a possible firing in the near future.
Analysts have said, though, that development of a multiple-stage version of a ballistic missile that can take payloads deep into the continental United States is years away.


Japan's top government spokesman, Shinzo Abe, said he could not comment on specific security issues, but added, "At the moment, we do not believe that a launch is imminent."
The latest reports come amid a deadlock in six-party talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear programmes, and ahead of a visit to China next week by the chief U.S. negotiator to the talks that involve the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and host China.
North Korea has said in numerous official media reports that it is building a nuclear deterrent to counter U.S. hostility. The United States believes that North Korea has one or two nuclear bombs and the ability to build more.
U.S. officials said on Thursday that Washington was open to discussions with North Korea on a peace treaty at the same time as the six-party nuclear talks, but that it must come back to the negotiating table first. North Korea has long demanded a peace treaty to replace the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean war.

Some experts detected in the U.S. stance at least a slight change in emphasis designed to entice Pyongyang back to the table and keep Asian allies from blaming Washington for the moribund diplomacy.
NHK said the missile appeared to be a Taepodong-2, which previous reports have said has a range of more than 6,700 km (4,200 miles), making it capable of hitting Alaska with a light payload.
Quoting Japanese government sources, Japan's Kyodo news agency also said that a launch could be imminent and that the missile was probably a Taepodong-2. However, a report in March by the California-based Centre for Nonproliferation Studies, a non-governmental organisation, said North Korea did not have an operational missile that could hit the continental United States.


That report said Pyongyang was working on a solid-fuel missile, Taepodong-X, with a range of up to 4,000 km (2,500 miles) that could hit Japan as well as U.S. bases in Guam, but North Korea has yet to demonstrate its reliability through a test flight.
North Korea shocked the world in August 1998 when it fired a Taepodong missile that flew over Japan before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
NHK, quoting U.S. government officials, said if the missile was a modified version of the Taepodong-2, it could have a range of 15,000 km (9,300 miles), which would cover all of the United States. U.S. officials have said the North is developing longer-range missiles that could hit the continental United States.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-05-19T034749Z_01_T8989_RTRUKOC_0_UK-KOREA-NORTH-MISSILE.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=2
 
I'd really like to know what's going on in Kim Jong Il's mind right now, his people are starving so he launches test missles?
 
sandy said:
the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and host China.

The way things are shaping out to be this could the shape of the countries in another war... also gotta include Iran in there. :)

MoRtArSnCaLiBeRs
 
MoRtArSnCaLiBeRs said:
The way things are shaping out to be this could the shape of the countries in another war... also gotta include Iran in there. :)

MoRtArSnCaLiBeRs

You seem excited about it.....

:|
 
I don't think North Korea will go on with launching this missle. If they do, half of the world will jump on em for it, then another world war could break out.....BUT, people these days are dumb enough to try that, so I don't know......
 
N. Korea is swaggering, trying to intimidate others that they are in the process developing new capabilities. If North Korea is able to succesfully test its first Nuclear Weapon followed by a succesful development of the modified Taepodong 2, and then test the weapon over Japanese Airspace directly violating the sovereighty of foreign nation constitutes an immediate threat. Should N Korea develop its missiles and Nuclear Weapons, the country must strictly abide to the "no first use" policy. I hope the Hermit Kingdom become rational on this issue.
 
Well Iran launched a Shihab 3 today and reports came back that the launch was partially successful, sort of, almost.

If this is all they've got, I wouldn't be poking a sleeping bear with a sharp stick and running my big pie hole.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1148287850178&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


"The Shihab test was only "partly successful," according to news reports. The nature of the difficulties was not clear. The Iranians have been working to extend the Shihab 3's current maximum range of 1,300 kilometers. A year ago, they successfully tested a solid fuel motor for the missile."

"In December, Israel's defense against an Iranian ballistic missile strike, the Arrow 2 missile system, succeeded in intercepting an incoming rocket simulating an Iranian Shihab 3 at an altitude higher than in the previous 13 exercises.

Maj. Elyakim, commander of the Arrow missile battery at Palmahim, told The Jerusalem Post last month that the missile crews were always on high alert, but that they were recently instructed to "raise their level of awareness" because of developments on the Iranian front.
The Arrow missile, he said, could intercept and destroy any Iranian missile fired at Israel, including ones carrying non-conventional warheads. Experts believe that if Iran is attacked by Israel or the US, Teheran would respond by firing long-range ballistic missiles at Israel."
 
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Kim Jong Il is a very kz and dangerous guy. The question of war with the DPRK has often crossed my mind. The NKPA (North Korean People's Army) could very well be a potent force.

The NKPA (North Korean People's Army) has about 500 long-range 240mm multiple rocket launcher systems and 170mm self-propelled guns to hardened sites located near the Demilitarized Zone. they could launch anywhere from 2,000 to 4,400 rounds into Seoul per minute one South Korean report said they could fire 10,000 rounds! This would cause massive loss of civilian life and is a much of a threat as a nuclear weapon going off.

As for the tanks the most advanced one is the T-90 (it has never been tested it battle) as well as countless outdated tanks such as the T-59 and T-34. They have about 3,500 tanks. There total manpower is 1,022,000 active troops 70% of their active force, including approximately 700,000 troops, over 8,000 artillery systems, and 2,000 tanks, is postured within 90 miles of the Demilitarized Zone.

The OOB of the NKPA can be found here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita.../dprk/army.htm
As their Air Force: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...k/airforce.htm
And last but not least their Navy: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita.../dprk/navy.htm

I have read things about their special ops but I still don't know much. Here is a link:
http://www.specwarnet.com/asia/NKSF.htm

In any case I see alot of the Immun Gun (Korean name for the NKPA) being largely destoryed in fighting on the DMZ. once however we reached the Yalu and the major large scale offensive operations were done. I see a long term bombing and small scale raids by partisans going on. Would China become involved? sending in hunderds of thousands of PLA soldiers across the Yalu as they did 56 years ago? Would Communist world wide come to the DPRK as many young islamic fighters have in Iraq to do their "duty" to Allah?


The ROK has 600,000 troops plus 33,000. The ROK has a modern military but still would be hard pressed to hold the north at bay long enough for more US troops to land and push the NKPA back across the DMZ and hopefully the Yalu. It could be a rather nasty mess.
 
It very much would be. China has already publicly declared the bi-lateral defense pact with North Korea an obsolete document.
 
You mean China won't come to save NK this time? In which case if NK starts a war it will be knocked back to Kimdom come.
 
Easy-8 said:
As for the tanks the most advanced one is the T-90 (it has never been tested it battle) as well as countless outdated tanks such as the T-59 and T-34.
.

North Korea doesn't have T-90s. Their most advanced tank is the T-62 as far as I know. The other stats on entrenched artillery positions along the border are scary.

Although a North Korean first strike could incur heavy South Korean civilian losses, South Korean forces would eventially own the North even without the US's help. Therefore, there isn't going to be a war.

As for Communists worldwide fighting for NK: None of the European communists I've ever met have any sympathies for North Korea's regime. Take it from me, I used to be one in my teens :D
 
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