North Korea vows to go ahead with rocket launch

[Knaur]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...w/12317949.cms

PYONGYANG (N Korea): North Korea vowed today to go ahead with plans to launch a long-range rocket, rejecting criticism in the West that it would scuttle recent diplomacy.

North Korea said Friday that it would fire an observation satellite into space on a new rocket as part of celebrations next month of the 100th anniversary of late President Kim Il Sung's birth.

The announcement came about two weeks after the North agreed to suspend long-range missile tests and make nuclear concessions in exchange for much-needed food aid from the United States. The agreement was seen as a promising step toward improved relations between the two wartime enemies.

The US, Japan, Britain and others have urged North Korea to cancel the planned launch, calling it a threat to diplomatic efforts and warning that it would violate a UN ban on nuclear and missile activity because the same rocket technology can be used for long-range missiles.

China, North Korea's main political and economic ally, also expressed rare concern Saturday and called on all parties to exercise restraint.

Today, the North's official news agency dismissed the criticism, saying it denied North Korea the right to the peaceful use of space.

"It is a sinister and deliberate anti-peace action" by hostile forces, the Korean Central News Agency said in an editorial. It said North Korea remained determined to carry out its plans.

The launch, planned between April 12 and 16, would be North Korea's third announced attempt since 1998 to send a satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket. It defied similar criticism in April 2009 and went ahead with a launch that was condemned by the UN Security Council.

North Korea quit international nuclear disarmament talks in response and then tested an atomic device, resulting in tightened UN sanctions.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged North Korea to reconsider next month's planned launch, and US officials have warned they would not provide 240,000 metric tons of promised food aid if it goes ahead.

[WABA]

Google News





Friday 13th April, 2012

North Korea rocket launch failed, says South
By Simon Martin (AFP) – 2 hours ago

PYONGYANG — North Korea on Friday launched a long-range rocket that appears to have disintegrated soon after blastoff and fallen into the ocean, South Korean and Japanese authorities said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan said Friday that North Korea's rocket launch had failed.

"North Korea fired a de-facto long-range missile this morning, but it ended in failure," he told journalists.

Earlier, Seoul's defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said the rocket had disintegrated shortly after blastoff.

"A few minutes after the launch, the rocket disintegrated into several pieces and lost its altitude," Kim told journalists.

US and South Korean officials were studying the trajectory.

North Korea has said the rocket would place a satellite in orbit for peaceful research purposes, but Western critics see the launch as a thinly veiled ballistic missile test, banned by United Nations resolutions.

North Korean officials had no immediate comment Friday on reports of the launch but said an announcement would be made before 9 am (0000 GMT).

The UN Security Council will meet in emergency session on Friday "to decide its next step" following the launch, a UN diplomat said.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle quickly condemned the launch, telling AFP it was a "violation of international obligations and will increase tensions on the Korean peninsula."

Japan's defence minister said that North Korea had launched a "flying object" that fell into the ocean after a short flight.

"We have the information some sort of flying object had been launched from North Korea" around 7:40am (2240 GMT Thursday), Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka told reporters.

"The flying object is believed to have flown for more than one minute and fallen into the ocean. This does not affect our country's territory at all."

Immediately after the launch, South Korea issued an order urging residents near the inter-Korean border to seek shelter to protect themselves from any debris that might fall from the rocket, Yonhap newswire said.

North Korea says its rocket launch is not a banned missile test and that it has every right to send the satellite up, to coincide with Sunday's centenary of the birth of its founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

The 30-metre (100-foot) Unha-3 (Galaxy-3) rocket had been positioned at a newly built space centre on the country's northwestern Yellow Sea coast.

North Korea has invited up to 200 foreign journalists to Pyongyang for the launch and the weekend commemorations, the largest number of overseas media ever welcomed in to the reclusive state.

The reclusive nation is in the midst of cementing a power transition between late leader Kim Jong-Il who died last December and his untested son Kim Jong-Un who is aged in his late 20s.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had earlier warned North Korea of UN Security Council action if it pressed ahead with the launch.

"If Pyongyang goes forward (with the launch) we will all be back in the Security Council to take further action," Clinton told reporters after consulting with her counterparts from the Group of Eight industrial nations.

"There is no doubt that this (launch) would use ballistic missile technology," she said, urging Pyongyang to refrain from "pursuing a cycle of provocation".
Her comments were followed by an unusually strongly worded statement issued by foreign ministers of the Group of Eight which "demanded" that North Korea abandon the launch.

Russia's envoy to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, has said that all Security Council members agreed that a launch would be a "violation" of UN sanctions resolutions imposed in 2009 after Pyongyang's last nuclear test.

[New Ron]

They launched the damn thing and it was one VERY BIG FAIL. lol

[armored-diplomacy]

I´d hate to be one of those scientists right now ;)

The thing is: launching a rocket with a satlite inside is a pretty complicated stuff that takes years of test just to develop a minimun know how; failed launchs also happen in the west as well.

However, the paranoic NK regime turned this into "me against the world" and put so much drama and national-survival here that they called for huge attention toward their test.

If NK was a normal place, they could have requested foreign help to start their own space program. Sadly, they chose this way, making their fail epic and funny.

[WABA]

North Korea obviously lacks the technology ( and money ) to produce a workable long range missile, this embarrassing latest ' failed launch' follows a string of similar failures.

Most probably North Korea has ( fortunately for us ) as similar lack of technology base to produce a workable 'nuclear weapon', however it appears that there is evidence that North Korea is setting up the infrastructure to attempt another under ground nuclear weapon test.

Hopefully this one will be a 'dude' the same as their last attempt.

It amazes me how pathetically chidlish this North Korea dictatorship is, they have a massive failure just trying to feed their own population, their military strength is going backwards because N.Korea does not have the fuel or money to properly train their troops, and poverty cause 'corruption' is endemic through out the entire N.Korea government and military.

Yet they continue with these 'long range missile/nuclear weapons' money wasting failures, that make them the laughing stock of the Western diplomatic services, in the vai hope their bullying bluster of military threats will gain them more ' food & fuel aid' from the West.

What a joke, and at the end of the day all it shows is what a pathetic failure the U.N. is.

[AlexHamburg]

I would not laugh about the north koreans, they help iran in their rocket development. Remember the attack of hisbollah on an Israeli corvette->

On July 14, Hezbollah scored a major strategic coup when it struck the Israeli corvette Hanit with a missile off the coast of Lebanon

http://www.military.com/forums/0,15240,115199,00.html



I mean, this cruise missle from north Korea, that hisbollah used is not state of the art technology, but it was enough, to harm an Israeli Corvette. Never underestimate your enemy. It is known, that Iran gets massive help in their missle program from north Korea and russia (sad truth is if you have money, you can buy everything you want, as it seems)

And iran is the nation, who gives the technology, hardware and knowledge to the hisbollah.

Look at this new missle of north korea shown at a military march, i would not be surprised, if they sell the new system to iran, and to be honest, such a balistical system is the last, what i want to see in the hands of this mad ajmehdin neychat.



http://www.foxnews.com/topics/north-korea.htm

[AlexHamburg]

ok, some of the Missles, which were shown on the last military parade, where obviously fakes

->

The missle seems not to fit on the starting platform, in addition there are gabs and the missle seems to be made out of rippled metal. All this indicates, that this missle is most likely a mockup.



Never the less, its dangerous to underestimate Northkorea. Northkorea has operative missles.


http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/an...e-fakes-202945

Tokyo: Analysts who have studied photos of a half-dozen ominous new North Korean missiles showcased recently at a lavish military parade say they were fakes, and not very convincing ones, casting further doubt on the country's claims of military prowess.
Since its recent rocket launch failure, Pyongyang's top military leaders have made several boastful statements about its weapons capabilities. On Wednesday, Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho claimed his country is capable of defeating the United States "at a single blow." And on Monday, North Korea promised "special actions" that would reduce Seoul's government to ashes within minutes.

But the weapons displayed April 15 appear to be a mishmash of liquid-fuel and solid-fuel components that could never fly together. Undulating casings on the missiles suggest the metal is too thin to withstand flight. Each missile was slightly different from the others, even though all were supposedly the same make. They don't even fit the launchers they were carried on...

[Knaur]

North Korea's greatest asset is not missiles but refugees. Notice that even their close ally China which didn't condemn the rocket launch does have two permanent Mech Armies posted on the border so that they don't do anything stupid like opening the border, for ex.

[New Ron]

If North Koreans knew about these fake missiles (those that are that is) they would get so enraged at the false sense of security the state has made, that alone could cause a revolution!

Lets tell them!

[Knaur]

Originally Posted by New Ron

If North Koreans knew about these fake missiles (those that are that is) they would get so enraged at the false sense of security the state has made, that alone could cause a revolution!

Lets tell them!

I doubt it, I think the average NKoreans are so brainwashed that they believe they have the greatest arsenal in the world and everyone else, specially USA is scared of them. It would take years even after the current regime collapses to convince them otherwise IMHO because the whole generation has been brainwashed right since birth about the the Glorious Leader and lying Western media.

[AlexHamburg]

a come one .. ok North Koreans are poor, starving and wear rags, but the state has its missle program, take a look

The country's missile programme has mainly been developed from the Scud.

It first obtained tactical missiles from the Soviet Union as early as 1969, but its first Scuds reportedly came via Egypt in 1976. Egypt is believed to have supplied North Korea with missiles and designs in return for its support against Israel in the Yom Kippur War.

By 1984, North Korea was building its own Scuds, the Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-6, as well as a medium-range missile, the Nodong. Its latest missile combines these technologies to give a long-range missile, the Taepodong.

In 2006 and 2009 it test-fired a new missile called the Taepodong-2, which experts say could have a range of many thousands of miles. The missile failed to perform on both occasions.

source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17399847

[Knaur]

Originally Posted by AlexHamburg

a come one .. ok North Koreans are poor, starving and wear rags, but the state has its missle program, take a look

From your link -

In 2006 and 2009 it test-fired a new missile called the Taepodong-2, which experts say could have a range of many thousands of miles. The missile failed to perform on both occasions.

It is my belief that duds mounted on duds are a smaller problem than millions of refugees to their neighbouring countries.

[AlexHamburg]

Na,

remember how the old cruise missle of the hisbollah badly damaged the Israeli Corvette. You are right, the missles are not state of the art but if you give them in the hand of mad people in iran or to the hisbollah, they can be a terrible harassment.
Its never bad to know what (and where) your enemy has in order to be prepared and to start counteractive measures if necessary.

[New Ron]

Originally Posted by Knaur

I doubt it, I think the average NKoreans are so brainwashed that they believe they have the greatest arsenal in the world and everyone else, specially USA is scared of them. It would take years even after the current regime collapses to convince them otherwise IMHO because the whole generation has been brainwashed right since birth about the the Glorious Leader and lying Western media.

You can brainwash the mind, but not the soul. It will take very little for North Koreans to see the truth, a few mistakes from the leaders and BAM, arab spring will look like childsplay.

Human beings aspire for freedom and liberty this will take over sooner or later, the communist brainwashing can only last so long.

[Knaur]

Originally Posted by AlexHamburg

Na,

remember how the old cruise missle of the hisbollah badly damaged the Israeli Corvette. You are right, the missles are not state of the art but if you give them in the hand of mad people in iran or to the hisbollah, they can be a terrible harassment.
Its never bad to know what (and where) your enemy has in order to be prepared and to start counteractive measures if necessary.

With that I agree, but I don't see NKorea as having a warfighting nuclear arsenal, or even one needed for deterrence.

[Knaur]

Originally Posted by New Ron

You can brainwash the mind, but not the soul. It will take very little for North Koreans to see the truth, a few mistakes from the leaders and BAM, arab spring will look like childsplay.

Human beings aspire for freedom and liberty this will take over sooner or later, the communist brainwashing can only last so long.

Perhaps so. Its hard to guess the timeline with NKorea's rather incomparable isolation and decades of propaganda.

[Sohei]

The people in North Korea are unable to pose a serious threat to their leadership. Any dissent is met with imprisonment, isolation, torture, starvation, exposure, disease, or death for the person and their family. Information, communication, and transportation are tightly controlled. The chief threat to the existing regime is a splintering of their military into rival factions that could result in civil war. Invasion by South Korea or by China are remote possibilities that are unlikely to happen anytime soon. South Korea is paralyzed by fear of civilian casualties so will only act under severe provocation. China would probably only consider invasion if North Korea becomes unable to contain the refugees or invasion by South Korea appeared imminent. In either case they would probably use peacekeeping or humanitarian reasons to justify the invasion. North Korea is unlikely to change to a more free or open society on its own despite the hopes of many speculators. The only likely sources of change will come from peaceful unification or invasion, neither of which is likely to happen soon.

[Knaur]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/north-korea...033654034.html

[garpk]

The problem is North Korea thinks that every time they threaten the world they will get food aid to feed their starving people to behave. They have succeeded so many times they are like a baby with a temper tantrum... South Korea, China and the world are sick of these games and appear they will no longer continue with this failed appeasement.

[Knaur]

Originally Posted by garpk

The problem is North Korea thinks that every time they threaten the world they will get food aid to feed their starving people to behave. They have succeeded so many times they are like a baby with a temper tantrum... South Korea, China and the world are sick of these games and appear they will no longer continue with this failed appeasement.

They will absolutely continue with the blackmail because its cheaper to offer food aid than have the floodgates of refugees opened.

As an aside, I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of NKorean ex-military officers face to face last year , I can't comment on an open forum much further but I'd definitely say their people's perception of their leadership and the West is quite different (in our favor) from what we are led to believe.