tomcatwarneOPOcean City, Plumouth, Devon, England UK17,106 posts
SEOUL (Reuters) - This month's rocket launch by reclusive North Korea shows it has likely developed the technology, long suspected in the West, to fire a warhead more than 10,000 km (6,200 miles), South Korean officials said on Sunday, putting the U.S. West Coast in range.
North Korea said the December 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile. North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N. sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests and the U.N. Security Council condemned the launch.
South Korea retrieved and analysed parts of the first-stage rocket that dropped in the waters off its west coast "As a result of analysing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000 km in case the warhead is 500-600 kg," a South Korean Defence Ministry official told a news briefing.
The end? Why? China and Russia had that capability many years ago, and they didn't shoot nuclear missiles. Now I'm afraid of the nuclear briefcases. I think North Korea would be demolished if they fire against USA, and China would be pretty angry about the economic consequences. Nuclear weapons are used mainly for deterrence.
tomcatwarneOPOcean City, Plumouth, Devon, England UK17,106 posts
(Reuters) - North Korea successfully launched a rocket on Wednesday, boosting the credentials of its new leader and stepping up the threat the isolated and impoverished state poses to opponents.
The rocket, which North Korea says put a weather satellite into orbit, has been labeled by the United States, South Korea and Japan as a test of technology that could one day deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting targets as far away as the continental United States.
"The satellite has entered the planned orbit," a North Korean television news reader clad in traditional Korean garb announced, after which the station played patriotic songs with the lyrics "Chosun (Korea) does what it says".
The rocket was launched just before 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), according to defense officials in South Korea and Japan, and was more successful than a rocket launched in April that flew for less than two minutes.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S.-Canadian military organization, said that the missile had "deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit".
North Korea followed what it said was a similar successful launch in 2009 with a nuclear test that prompted the U.N. Security Council to stiffen sanctions that it originally imposed in 2006 after the North's first nuclear test.
North Korea is banned from developing nuclear and missile-related technology under U.N. resolutions, although Kim Jong-un, the youthful head of state who took power a year ago, is believed to have continued the state's "military first" programs put in place by his late father, Kim Jong-il.
North Korea hailed the launch as celebrating the prowess of all three members of the Kim family to rule since it was founded in 1948.
"At a time when great yearnings and reverence for Kim Jong-il pervade the whole country, its scientists and technicians brilliantly carried out his behests to launch a scientific and technological satellite in 2012, the year marking the 100th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung," its KCNA news agency said. Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather, was North Korea's first leader.
The United States condemned the launch as "provocative" and a breach of U.N. rules, while Japan's U.N. envoy called for a Security Council meeting. However, diplomats say further tough sanctions are unlikely from the Security Council as China, the North's only major ally, will oppose them.
"The international community must work in a concerted fashion to send North Korea a clear message that its violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions have consequences," the White House said in a statement.
U.S. intelligence has linked North Korea with missile shipments to Iran. Newspapers in Japan and South Korea have reported that Iranian observers were in the North for the launch, something Iran has denied.
Japan's likely next prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of an election on Sunday and who is known as a hawk on North Korea, called on the United Nations to adopt a resolution "strongly criticizing" Pyongyang.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated that the rocket was a "peaceful project".
"The attempt to see our satellite launch as a long-range missile launch for military purposes comes from hostile perception that tries to designate us a cause for security tension," KCNA cited the spokesman as saying.
tomcatwarneOPOcean City, Plumouth, Devon, England UK17,106 posts
GUZMAN1: No, no, you aren't wrong. I just said that the missiles are not the main problem, but the nuclear capability.
I hear ya GUZ but the capability of delivering the package to your front door is frightening, as I said it's early days for the NK yet, they haven't fired out how to miniaturise the bomb for payload size yet.
tomcatwarne: SEOUL (Reuters) - This month's rocket launch by reclusive North Korea shows it has likely developed the technology, long suspected in the West, to fire a warhead more than 10,000 km (6,200 miles), South Korean officials said on Sunday, putting the U.S. West Coast in range.
North Korea said the December 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile. North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N. sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests and the U.N. Security Council condemned the launch.
South Korea retrieved and analysed parts of the first-stage rocket that dropped in the waters off its west coast "As a result of analysing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000 km in case the warhead is 500-600 kg," a South Korean Defence Ministry official told a news briefing.
Both a very timely,(and opportunistic coincidental) "fist strike' 'legal' excuse for the US to rid themselves of a nagging pest; but if they did hit and 'take out' North Korea,(with their usual impunity), what will the rest of the world have for comic relief...
JeanKimberley: I always found it curious that the news media went on and on about Iraq, Iran and have ignored the Koreans for the last 20 years ....
it has been brewing for years.... its old news on a new day.
Could be because the media (or what ever ) know the Koreans are godless so and soe's and like fancy handbags ,to party up large and not keen on being dead . On the other hand The leaders of Iran are temperamental , thats half temper and half mental . Mad pricks think their are 7 virgins waiting for them and are only to happy to be dead . Unfortunatly The leaders of Iran don't really mind how many they take with them .
epirb: Could be because the media (or what ever ) know the Koreans are godless so and soe's and like fancy handbags ,to party up large and not keen on being dead . On the other hand The leaders of Iran are temperamental , thats half temper and half mental . Mad pricks think their are 7 virgins waiting for them and are only to happy to be dead . Unfortunatly The leaders of Iran don't really mind how many they take with them .
north korea and iran are no threat to the world or to anyone unless they`re attacked first,both those countries have US military bases on their door step because both those countries refuse US imperialism, USA is in no position to lecture any country in the world about nukes, when they have 5000 nukes ready to be launched, iran and north korea are demonised by the western media meant to turn the people on their side.....Remember the the `facts` they provided for the iraq war,total lies and they`re trying to do the same now,incredibly people are falling for it again ,WAKE UP
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North Korea said the December 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.
North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N. sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests and the U.N. Security Council condemned the launch.
South Korea retrieved and analysed parts of the first-stage rocket that dropped in the waters off its west coast
"As a result of analysing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000 km in case the warhead is 500-600 kg," a South Korean Defence Ministry official told a news briefing.