US Warns North Korea on Missile Test

[Ghostrider]

US Warns North Korea on Missile Test

Associated Press | June 19, 2006
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea appeared close Sunday to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States, prompting the White House to warn of an appropriate response and Japan to threaten a "fierce" protest to the United Nations.

North Korea was silent on the issue but vowed to bolster its "military deterrent" in a burst of fiery rhetoric carried by its state news agency.

A test launch of what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 missile would inflame a region already tense over the North's continuing nuclear weapons program.

"There are signs" of an imminent missile launch, Jung Tae-ho, a spokesman at the South Korean president's office, told The Associated Press. He added that security officials were "closely watching the situation."

The North last conducted such a launch in August 1998. Pyongyang imposed a moratorium on testing long-range missiles in 1999.

The White House spokesman said Sunday the United States expected the North to abide by that freeze.

"We do not want to have a missile test out of North Korea," Tony Snow told "Fox News Sunday." "The North Koreans themselves decided in 1999 that they would place a moratorium on this kind of testing, and we expect them to maintain the moratorium."

Snow noted that North Korea made a series of commitments in six-nation talks over its nuclear program in September, including that they would "bargain in good faith."

"We expect them to come back to the table," Snow said. "And we hope there's not going to be a launch."

President Bush, national security adviser Stephen Hadley and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been in contact with more than a dozen countries and communicated with North Korea through the U.N. representative, Snow said.

"If they go ahead with a test, then we will have to respond properly and appropriately at the time," Snow told CNN's "Late Edition." Asked if he could explain what that meant, Snow replied, "No."

"Japan is reporting that, as far as they can tell, there are no plans to launch a missile today," Snow told CBS' "Face the Nation."

The Taepodong-2 is the North's most advance missile and is capable of reaching parts of the United States with a light payload.

In Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said his country would take the issue to the United Nations.

"We will naturally file a stern protest and it will be fierce," Aso told TV Asahi.

He also said it would be "inevitable" that the Security Council would consider imposing sanctions on North Korea if it goes ahead with a launch. Japan also could impose sanctions on the North, he told Fuji TV.

Snow said he could not discuss specific intelligence about the suspected plans to launch a missile.

But Japan's largest newspaper, Yomiuri, reported Sunday that U.S. and Japanese officials have confirmed that North Korea has assembled what is believed to be a Taepodong-2, with two stages at the launch site, based on photos from satellites.

The newspaper and South Korea's Yonhap news agency carried similar reports citing unidentified U.S. and diplomatic officials saying North Korea also may have begun fueling the missile.

North Korean officials talked Sunday about increasing the country's "military deterrent" during a meeting celebrating the anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il starting work in the communist party, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said.

"Military deterrent" commonly refers to the nuclear program, which North Korea says it needs to defend itself against a potential U.S. attack. Washington denies any intention to invade.

"The (North) Korean army and people will do their best to increase the military deterrent with sharp vigilance to cope with the moves of the U.S., which is hell-bent on provocations for war," said Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

"If the enemies ignite a war eventually, the Korean army and people will mercilessly wipe out the aggressors and give vent to the deep-rooted grudge of the nation," Choe was quoted as saying by the North Korean news agency.

The missile concerns come amid an extended impasse at the six-nation talks on the nuclear weapons program. The talks - involving the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia - were last held in November.

"We expect them to come back to the table. We do not want to have a missile test out of North Korea," Snow told "Fox News Sunday."

The North claims it has nuclear weapons, but it is not believed to have a design that would be small and light enough to top a missile.

Read on guys. I believe that there're countries that seem to have a taste for "trying to spice things up" and stuff. North Korea is, apparently, trying to provoke other countries to engage them, so that they declare war on them...I wonder what's their real intention

-Ghost

PS: Here's the link:
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/...tml?ESRC=eb.nl

[Army Musician]

What and if, the North Koreans don't comply (which they wont) the US will attack them?? When the North Koreans launch the missile, they say test but it could land anywhere. What goes up, Must come down, basic physics

[[R-CON]MrD]

we can't touch the N.Korean, they are under the protection of the chinese.

I have heard from chinese friends that china isn't prepared to take any more crap off N.Korea themselves and are heavily coming down on them to reform and get their act together.

[USM-ST3.Highspeed]

Originally Posted by MrD

we can't touch the N.Korean, they are under the protection of the chinese.

I have heard from chinese friends that china isn't prepared to take any more crap off N.Korea themselves and are heavily coming down on them to reform and get their act together.

Your post counterdicts itself, however let me emphasise something. I am ex military so I kinda got a broader view of whats behind the scenes. When the US went into bagdad we were in conflict over a cargo plane issue. When the chinese saw how rapidly we deployed to Iraq and seized the city of however many billion, the chinese made waste of the conflict appologizing to the US. The Chinese does not want to mess with the US nor the 31 or so countries that follow "US". Now when the UN steps up in N korea's face and says no, that is 31 country's sayin "hold on budd" Not only is the US military world power, but we have friends, lots of them.

Also in response to army musician, the US nuclear missile defense systems are incredible the chance of a nuclear missile accurately reaching the US is undefined but hardly likely to do much damage if any, it will most likely be intercepted high above the strato. Do not underestimate your country. One other thing, if you ever recall hearing that the US has about 20,000 more nukes than anyone else with great capability of using them then you should sorta rest at ease.

Let me add as well, having an uncle a part of the specs ops department of the US military tells me that a lot goes on behind the curtains, stuff the press does not have acess to, but I'm sure that if worst came to worst a group of extreemly highly trained soldiers, such as SEALS, CIA operatives or Beret's of some sort would deploy to North Korea unknowingly to take down key places. After all it is what they train for.

[[R-CON]MrD]

England will not follow you into N.Korea.

mark my words, the people here will not support you in another regime toppling illegal action, no matter what reason you use.

Yeah, we all know SF troops and personnel who tell us the truth from time to time, but we also know former troops who spent a couple of years in chinese concentration camps getting diseased through mistreatment the last time we had to fight the chinese. There is no way china won't protect N.Korea and there is no way they will not fight when they have to even if the chinese government tells its people it doesn't want war, it wants peace.

[USM-ST3.Highspeed]

you know nothing clearly. Great Britain will follow the US anywhere. As they did in Iraq, they are still there. So don't say no we won't, cause uhh... ya will. Britain is the US's stongest and best ally. I seriously can't stand kids who think they know their country, the press has brainwashed you. The US has a strong relationship with britain. And the entrance to Iraq was linked to terrorism hence the fact that Iraq was suspected of building nuclear weapons. The US went into Iraq with the support of the UN, including Britain, but when nothing was found everyone said "OH NO THE US DID IT, NOT US, WE NEVER THOUGHT ONCE THAT THERE WERE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION!" Seriously get yer heads out of the newspapers.

One other little bit, they say china has a million man army or that korea has such and such amount of soldiers, this and that. First of all the US has more military than any other and, China and N Korea revolves souly around their military so much as to starve their people and turn them down for their right to live an even poor life. The US has this thing called the draft where it could instantaneously up its military to well over 50 million if not more, so you see numbers are not really in effect here its basically who pushes the right buttons in the most strategic way, and so far the US and its allies fight for whats best, ending sufferage, ending terrorism, preventing nuts with nukes such as N Korea, and countless other shit. Britain is not going to sit back and watch N Korea destroy any country.

[Army Musician]

True, Britain and America are strong allies, If it wasn't for the Alliance between Britain and America, WWII would have been an Axis Victory. In both WWI and WWII alike, britain has come to the aid of her allies, France, Poland, etc.. and again with Iraq and Afghanistan we have come to aid the U.S. because we stand for peace and prosperity, if the unthinkable happened, korea and china, went to war with the west, Britain would be the first in to aid our allies. We have been true to our word, and we take the defence of our island very seriously.

[USM-ST3.Highspeed]

I'll be the first to admit britain is a both a beautiful and great country. To set yerselves aside from the US is insanely wrong. If not for the US things wouldn't be the same for you now. We are friends cause we fought it out long ago and even though the US won we were civil enough to say, "now join us, and we'll fight together from now on." And since then Britain has been there for us, and we have been there for the Brits.

[Army Musician]

True, I think if Britain, Europe and America wern't policing the world, then we would all be up the Creek Without a paddle, (up s*** Creek). America needs Britain and Britain needs America, without which, the stock markets would plummet, everything would go wrong. Another reason why Britain went to Iraq is to Increase the strength of our Alliance. If in the unlikely case of the BF2:AF Scenario, Britain would come along help. We helped the Whole of Europe in WWI and WWII and we will do it again if needs be.

[SiN|ScarFace]

The US anti-missle system has been upgraded from test to active status.