North Korea launched a long-range missile Sunday morning, according to the Washington Post, thereby defying international warnings and risking further international sanctions:
The three-stage rocket flew over Japan, with its first two booster stages falling harmlessly into the Sea of Japan — also known as the East Sea — and Pacific Ocean, respectively.
North Korea said the “peaceful” launch would put a communications satellite into orbit, and South Korean officials confirmed that the rocket was carrying a satellite. But President Obama called it a “provocative act” with which North Korea has “further isolated itself from the community of nations.”
In light of the 2006 nuclear crisis I think we all know by now that North Korean president Kim Jong Il (sorry for not resisting the headline temptation) is a bit of a defiant child, but you have to ask yourself: If North Korea’s intentions really are purely peaceful, if their sole purpose is to put a communications satellite into orbit, as every Tom, Dick and Harry around the world after all is free to; wherein lies the problem?
Obviously, some find it hard to believe that to be the case, but if it isn’t, are suspicions backed by hard evidence that it isn’t so? Please don’t get me wrong; I consider North Korea’s dictator a menace deserving a good overthrowing, but let’s not use ulterior motives again.
If the words Weapons of mass destruction mean anything to us in hindsight.
There are so many other — honourable — reasons to bring the old bugger down.
My Scandinavian readers may appreciate these:
- Nordkorea sköt upp kritiserad raket – svd.se
- “Ett hot mot världsfreden” – dn.se
- Omstridt nordkoreansk raket til vejrs – politiken.dk
- Nord-Korea skjøt opp rakett – db.no
- Nord-Korea skjøt opp rakett i natt – VG Nett
- Nord-Korea skjøt opp rakett – tv2nyhetene.no
Finally, a chilling reminder of what we’re dealing with (this is 2004, good people!):
Photo: North Korean president Kim Il Jong (of unknown origin).
It doesn’t really matter what intentions they had with this missile launch, or if it contained a satellite or not.
The fact remains, after the launch, NK now has official access to tried and proved missile technology which can deliver warheads to the west coast of the USA. (and also, into the European Union, which curiously few people seem to note)
This naturally shifts the strategic balance, and have political consequences.
You can be sure, that no matter what the missile contained, the NK leadership is well aware of this fact.
I think we share a basic understanding of the strategic implications of North Korea’s actions, Olle, even if I do understand their
failureinability to comprehend how other countries’ right to launch communications satellites in any way should deprive them of that very same right.They must however have been full aware of the suspicions fuelled by their own secrecy. In light of that I find it quite impossible to get my head around their reluctance to allow international inspections in order to verify the missile’s content and purpose. Which of course justifies international suspicions — and consequential sanctions.
If, on the other hand, NK’s intentions are everything but peaceful, they must know how outnumbered and inferior they really are, in terms of nuclear and military capacity.
Then again, claiming the North Korean regime rational, is a bit of an exaggeration.
Nord korea var veldig flinke og ikke hørt på usa og japan og nato om å stoppe skytingen,og de dreit i alle de,og sa her er jeg i himmelen,og ingen kan nå meg lenger
heeeeeeeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
yes
NK is a land of extreme nationalism and national pride, where they view their leader as a demi-god.
(And anyhow just a placeholder leader for their real leader, his dead father, the Sun of Korea…)
No-one is allowed to question the official motives, not within the country, and ceirtainly not any of their proclaimed “enemies”. (A society like NK couldn’t function without a clearly defined enemy).
Its not hard to understand their reluctance to be “inspected”, specially if the official story is, as you say, something that you COULD view as fully legit.
The NK government isn’t stupid, by proclaiming its a satellite, they can both test their new missile tech, and win a PR victory (at least at home) if anyone interferes with it.
Plus they win a huge national pride victory any way it turns out.
(This is btw officially NKs _second_ satellite, they have claimed to launch one before, though noone has ever been able to find that one in orbit…)
But to think this was only a satellite, and nothing else, would be to fall for the NK propaganda machine, and to fall into their double-thinking.
Don’t forget, the korean war never ended, and NK is officially expecting invasion by US forces at any day. (part of the clearly defined enemy strategy)
To get a look into the minds of NK propagandists, I recommend a visit to the KCNA website…
is it going to be to late to do anything about this gook nazi, or wait for him to wipe us out?