Some people will do anything to get attention. Details via CNN/Reuters:
North Korea has launched a missile but it was not the intercontinental missile being monitored by the United States, CNN reported on Tuesday, quoting sources.CNN said the missile, reported to have landed in the Sea of Japan, was smaller than North Korea’s Taepodong-2 missile, which is believed to be capable of hitting some parts of Alaska.
and from Fox News:
Japanese government officials were trying to determine whether the missiles were Taepodong II, long-range ballistic missiles that have been sitting on a launch pad for weeks, or whether it was a different type of missile.
One U.S. government official told FOX News that if the first were the Taepodong missile, it was “a real big dud.”
It just got serious. Breaking via CNN:
North Korea test-fires at least three missiles, one of them a long-range weapon that the U.S. has been monitoring, U.S. sources say.
It looks like the Taepodong-2 was a dud:
North Korea launched a long-range Taepodong-2 missile early Wednesday in an apparently unsuccessful test that failed in flight, a senior State Department official said.North Korea also tested at least two smaller missiles, U.S. sources told CNN.
John Murney asks:
Can someone out there please explain to me why Iraq was invaded, while North Korea remains uninvaded?
Unfortunately we’ll probably see the usual expression of diplomatic “outrage” and other symbolic acts while the North Koreans continue to tinker with nukes. Sanctions? Bleh.
Fox broadcast reports that John Bolton is working the phones in an urgent attempt to reach members of the U.N. Security Council.
Life goes on:
The mountain that houses NORAD is right outside my window, probably a half-mile down the canyon. Should I feel safer, or wouldn’t they target it?I’m taking Ellie to the dog park.
Not that she deserves it, after throwing up on my bed twice last night. Once at 3 a.m., on the sheets, right by my pillow, and I woke up with dog puke on my arm. So I get up, change the sheets, take a shower … lovely.
Dog puke is the greater short-term threat but if the world continues to let countries like North Korea continue on this path we’ll all have reason to worry.
Bill Clinton’s name is popping up all over the blogosphere and cable news shows right now:
What makes North Korea a tremendous danger to the world is that now, thanks to the Clinton Administration and former President Jimmy Carter, North Korea does have nuclear weapons in it’s arsenal.
Fox News broadcast just reported that up to 6 missiles have been launched. Dongs are flying all over the place. It’s not a good day to be a fisherman in the Sea of Japan.
South Korean media is reporting a total of 10 missiles fired:
North Korea on Wednesday test-launched 10 short-, medium- and long-range missiles, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korean intelligence officials.
The number of tests exceeded the six that the United States had so far estimated. All of the missiles are believed to have landed in the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
John Howard has labelled North Korea’s latest missile test extremely provocative and called on other countries to condemn the launch.The Prime Minister said he was still gathering information on the nature of the tests, but Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary said North Korea fired up to six missiles early today, with CNN television reporting that one of the missiles was a long-range Taepodong-2.
“But whether they are big or small missiles, or a combination of the two, this development is very provocative and runs completely counter to the interests of North Korea and the interests of the whole region,” Mr Howard told ABC radio.
I think everyone, except maybe China, Iran, and Syria probably agree with you John but does anyone have a plan for putting a stop to this?
The Security Council will meet in the morning:
The U.N. Security Council plans to meet in closed session on North Korea’s long-anticipated missile testing on Wednesday morning, a French spokesman said.
The meeting was requested late on Tuesday by Japan’s U.N. ambassador, Kenzo Oshima, who is expected to introduce a draft resolution, diplomatic sources said.
Do I think it will amount to much? Not really. We’ve been ineffective for decades. Why shift gears now? Besides, despite all the hype, there is a much more immediate threat in Iran.
I had to fight the urge to use a title like this:
Mine was much much worse but you’ve been spared.
It turns out that North Korea has a July 4th message for Hugo Chavez:
Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, Monday sent a message of greetings to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias on the occasion of the day of its independence. The message reaffirmed the DPRK’s full support and solidarity with the president and people of Venezuela in their efforts to resolutely defend the Bolivarian revolution from the U.S. attempt for interference and aggression and expressed the belief that bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would grow stronger in the future.
But they’ve issued that press release before.
CNN is reporting a later firing on a seventh missile. I guess South Korean reports of 10 were overblown:
The Japanese Defense Agency said one ballistic missile was fired from southeastern North Korea around 5:20 p.m. (4:20 a.m. ET), landing in the Sea of Japan about 10 minutes later.The range of the missile has not been confirmed by CNN. However, Japanese news agencies said it was medium-range.
Related:
NORAD at Bravo-Plus: Ready for North Korean Missile Launch
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24 Responses
Readers are solely responsible for the comments they post. Comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of Blogs of War or John Little.
July 4th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
North Korea Test Fires Two Missiles
The first missile, which is preliminarily thought not to be the intercontinental variety causing the most alarm, has fallen into the Sea of Japan.The reclusive communist state launched the missile at 3:32 a.m., or 2:32 p.m. Tuesday EDT, and it
July 4th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
North Korea Defies International Opinion And Launches Missiles
North Korea has defiantly brushed aside international and U.S. warnings and has launched several missiles.
The question: were they the kind of missiles that they had said they were launch or less threatening ones perhaps launched to send …
July 4th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Thanks for the great footwork on this North Korea mess.
(Pressing their LUCK aren’t they…?)
Thanks again…
AubreyJ………
July 4th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Ready, Aim, Fizz
Blogs of War follows the launch of three North Korean missiles — the Taepodong-2 a failure and two Scuds to cover up — and breathes a sigh of relief, for now….
July 4th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
Shooting Blanks…For Now (UPDATED)
Heard on FoxNews: Kim Jong-Il celebrates the Fourth of July by firing two of his oft-threatened missiles. Crazy bugger wants to stir us up, but it’s the Japanese of whom he needs to be mindful. Surely he remembers them. UPDATE:
July 4th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Kim Jung Il’s Dong Goes Soft
North Korea launched three test missiles at the United States Tuesday, but its long-range Taepodong-2 missile apparently failed in flight, CNN said.
A senior State Department official told CNN the two smaller missiles were launched from a different sit
July 5th, 2006 at 12:18 am
Has anyone explored the EMP angle yet? I don’t think the launch was a failure.
July 5th, 2006 at 12:37 am
Missile launches
What will be the US response? A targeted response against the launch site. This has to be carefully weighed against a DPRK launching a retalitory artillery barrage on Seoul. The South Korean capitol has a population of 11 million people living there,…
July 5th, 2006 at 2:30 am
North Korean Fireworks a dud.
TOKYO (AP) — A defiant North Korea test-fired a long-range missile Wednesday that may be capable of reaching America, but it failed seconds after launch, U.S. officials said. The North also tested four shorter range missiles in an exercise the Wh…
July 5th, 2006 at 3:41 am
Can someone out there please explain to me why Iraq was invaded, while North Korea remains uninvaded?
Oh, I don’t know… something about Seoul disappearing from view behind a cloud of artillery shells the moment we move. Maybe if Seoul is evacuated ahead of time, but I’m betting even fools like Kim Jong Il will see through that one.
July 5th, 2006 at 4:48 am
“something about Seoul disappearing from view behind a cloud of artillery shells the moment we move”
Iraq was by far the easiest Axis of Evil target. North Korea would be a cakewalk if Seoul wasn’t essentially being held hostage.
July 5th, 2006 at 6:17 am
It’s not just that there are about a bazillion old Sov Bloc artillery tubes zeroed in on Seoul. It that these artillery tubes are in caves bored in to solid rock. The tube wheels out until the muzzle is just outside, the gun goes boom and the recoil pushes it back down the hole. So, how long is the tube vulnerable to counterbattery fire?
Artillery was not my area way back in the 60′s when I wore Uncle’s Suit and the state of the art has progressed far since my rudimentery grounding in what the Redlegs and the Zoomies can do in counterbattery fire but I’m glad I don’t eat Kimchee if it comes to the current unpleasentness getting out of hand. Yeah, we can win but there will be a crowd of Korean funerals.
July 5th, 2006 at 6:28 am
North Korean Games
Kim Jong-Il is up to something. North Korea is the poster child for the utter failure of communism as a form of government.
July 5th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
North Korea draws world’s scorn for tests
North Korea test-fired a seventh missile Wednesday, intensifying the furor that began when the reclu
July 5th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Iraq was also unfinished business, and further was effectively in a state of war – Hussein had violated the cease fire at the end of Desert Storm dozens of times. Then, if you pull out a map and take a look at what country is sandwiched between Afghanistan and Iraq, you might get a little better understanding.
July 5th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
“Then, if you pull out a map and take a look at what country is sandwiched between Afghanistan and Iraq, you might get a little better understanding.”
That was one of the primary reasons I supported going into Iraq. We didn’t seem to get much traction with Iran though. They definitley don’t act as if they’re threatened. But I think we’ll call them on that eventually.
July 5th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Where’s The Response To N. Korea’s Missile Launch?
Independence Day 2006, was one of the more bizarre birthdays in our nation’s history. After several days of postponement, NASA launched the Discovery shuttle, marking the first Independence Day launch ever. Troubling, however, were the numerous object…
July 5th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Kablam! Nucleoid War!
I guess I should blog about something other than race, illegal “immigration,” love of country and culture, and false allegations of gang-rape such as…
…survival of the human race!
I like Old Time Radio, especially the paranoi…
July 5th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
Korea: what rockets do when you peddle fake vxxxxx
Now if only Kim Jong Il whose underpants are emblazoned with the phrase “Home of the Whopper,” would stop peddling fake Vxxxxxx maybe his rockets would stay up longer, or at least fours hours according to the warning label. Wait, what am I saying?
July 6th, 2006 at 1:37 am
Rockets Red Glare
Meanwhile, half a world away, North Korea launched not one, but seven missiles. The most worrisome test, of their longest range multistage Taepodong-2, either failed or aborted about 45 seconds after launch.
July 6th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
North Korea Has More Missiles Ready
Kim Jong Il is crazy like a fox. There is no telling what he has in store for the world. Countries within range are understandably sweating bullets. The fireworks display he gave the world on the 4th of July may have been a red herring. Just a though…
October 20th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Now that’s a Surprise! Kim Jong Il actually apologized for North Korea for conducting nuclear testing?!! He said he didn’t have plans to test anymore. Something just doesn’t sound right about that one.
January 11th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
hello, have nice day…
…
April 4th, 2009 at 5:25 am
[...] Blogs of War says we will see the usual diplomatic outrage and symbolic acts while Kim continues to play with his nukes. [...]