North Korean Missile Launch

[Marshal Murat]

North Korea actually launched a missile this time.

Yahoo

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea defiantly carried out a provocative rocket launch Sunday that the U.S., Japan and other nations suspect was a cover for a test of its long-range missile technology.

Liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230GMT) Sunday from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean government said. In Washington, the State Department also confirmed the launch.

Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appeared to launch a rocket on Sunday, the Japanese government said, defying calls from world leaders to scrap a plan that has caused international alarm.

Secondary Confirmation

North Korea fired a long-range rocket on Sunday, South Korea's presidential office told AFP.

This time the missile launch actually succeeded. So what next? Will the US actually DO something or more talks and talks that end up giving North Korea some rice and sake?

[Xiahou]

This time the missile launch actually succeeded. So what next? Will the US actually DO something or more talks?

We'll do nothing. The US and rest of the world is being tested by N.Korea and we'll likely show that we're not capable of anything more than handwringing.

Let's make John Bolton the chief negotiator over there.

[Marshal Murat]

That's the worse part about this, is that I'm afraid the US (and China) will realize that they're either going to have to move in a put down NK like a rabid dog or let this rabid dog infect other nations. I don't want this Barbary State-esque blackmail to continue.

[Shaka_Khan]

They say that this rocket could reach Alaska.
This could start an arms race in the Far East.
NK has a lot of potential customers outside of the Far East.

[Samurai Waki]

I'd actually be incredibly relieved if the PLA decided it had taken enough guff and intimidation as well as constantly being embarrassed by it's former wayward lackey and finally cleansed itself of them.

Though somehow, I just don't think that's going to happen. It might be up to RoK/US and possibly some others to give ol' Kim Jong a good kick in the groin.

[Devastatin Dave]

I'm not afraid. Our Dear Leader will protect us from any attack through either harsh teleprompter reading or with his own dazzling chiseled chest and rippling abs.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I'm not afraid. Our Dear Leader will protect us from any attack through either harsh teleprompter reading or with his own dazzling chiseled chest and rippling abs.

Putin has the chest and the sambo. I'm so sorry Dave.

[rasoforos]

Oh my God!!!

N. Korea launched a satellite and the world did not come to an end?!??!

This cannot be! I had my bunker all ready and stocked up, what will I do with my 3 tons of baked beans now???

Of course, us western nations would never dream of launching satellites because we are the good guys. And if we ever do, we would never ever dream of using missiles, we would just ask a really strong guy to hurl them into the sky.

Get off the 'double standards' donkey people...

As Jesus said 'Let him who is without satellite launching capabilities cast the first missile interceptor'

[lenin96]

. I agree with the above poster.

[Fragony]

Get off the 'double standards' donkey people...

So we are really to be compared to North-Korea because we have rockets? Nice opinion, would be a shame if something happened to it.

[Furunculus]

Oh my God!!!

N. Korea launched a satellite and the world did not come to an end?!??!

This cannot be! I had my bunker all ready and stocked up, what will I do with my 3 tons of baked beans now???

Of course, us western nations would never dream of launching satellites because we are the good guys. And if we ever do, we would never ever dream of using missiles, we would just ask a really strong guy to hurl them into the sky.

Get off the 'double standards' donkey people...

As Jesus said 'Let him who is without satellite launching capabilities cast the first missile interceptor'

double standards are fine with me.

Satellite broadcasting revolutionary songs about dear ol' Kim:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ary-songs.html

The man is a joke, his regime is a joke, the whole pustulent edifice survives by donations from koreans in japan and blackmailing S korea into supplying vast ammounts of food aid.

I do not trust them to own ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, and i am happy to see them leaned on as much as is necessary to see that it doesn't happen, even if that means jumping up and down on the bloody corpse of the regime.

[Fragony]

Oh lollipop FAIL

[naut]

They say that this rocket could reach Alaska.

Which is were all the US's anti-missile defences are.

[Shaka_Khan]

^ That would be a good chance to test the anti-missile defence if the missile goes near there.


A cash/food starved North Korea will be very tempted to sell their missiles/rockets. There are plenty of dangerous customers out there.
But countries who were against the launch will just penalize and then go back to normal. North Korea launched a satellite, which is legal. The US, South Korea, and Japan have no diplomatic relations with NK.

- China will protect NK because NK is China's important ally and a buffer zone against the US.

- The US is too busy and bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their Korean and Japanese allies are not too eager to kill NK civilians and fight a war right at their doorstep.

- In the case of the South Koreans, the war could take place in their own country. Also, the South is already in the range of NK artilleries and various missiles. Today's rocket launch doesn't change South Korea's situation much.

- Most Japanese don't want to go back to the imperial era. Plus, they don't wan't to provoke China into an arms race.

- North Korea will continue to blackmail because of their terrible economy. They need cash. The launch of their long-range missile raised their leverage in negotiations. North Korea won't open up while Kim's regime is in control. Kim is afraid that opening up will encourage the NKs to overthrow him. Unlike China, the North has a powerful and wealthy neighbor of the same language. NKs will gladly switch sides once they find out the reality of the world.

Eventually, North will get to a point where the other countries can't avoid the situation. NK might even launch a nuke to test in the Pacific.

[FactionHeir]

Epic fail:
http://www.reuters.com/article/world...5341FP20090405

[Fragony]

Epic fail:
http://www.reuters.com/article/world...5341FP20090405

See? I am always right, now how did I know

Oh lollipop FAIL

[tibilicus]

I know I'm an object of criticism in the world but if I am being talked about, I must be doing the right things.

Kim Jong-il

[Dutch_guy]

Nice timing though, just as most people are considering their leader dead (when was the last time we saw an actual picture of the guy - let alone an appearence?), they try to launch a rocket.

Nk is just trying to get out attention again, we should keep on ignoring it and let it destroy itself. It has shown quite the talent for this the past 50 years.

[Aemilius Paulus]

I'm not afraid. Our Dear Leader will protect us from any attack through either harsh teleprompter reading or with his own dazzling chiseled chest and rippling abs.

I am a Backroom n00b I suppose. Seems like other people know what DD is speaking of. Who is the person DD mentioned?

But yes, Putin is a judo and sambo black belt-er. And he does have an amazingly ripped body considering he is 56 years old:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Ice]

Epic fail:
http://www.reuters.com/article/world...5341FP20090405

North Korean Technology is prone to failure? No way....

[Furunculus]

I am a Backroom n00b I suppose. Seems like other people know what DD is speaking of. Who is the person DD mentioned?

i believe he is referring to saint obama.

[Devastatin Dave]

I am a Backroom n00b I suppose. Seems like other people know what DD is speaking of. Who is the person DD mentioned?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

He goes by many name; The One, The Messiah, TOTUS, He is the Change, He is the Hope, He is the one that make us say "Yes we can" (stolen from Bob the Builder), when He speaks He makes the legs tingle and the capitalists despair.

[Gregoshi]

He is the one that make us say "Yes we can" (stolen from Bob the Builder)...

Which was pretty much stolen from the Little Engine That Could.

[Pannonian]

He goes by many name; The One, The Messiah, TOTUS, He is the Change, He is the Hope, He is the one that make us say "Yes we can" (stolen from Bob the Builder), when He speaks He makes the legs tingle and the capitalists despair.

You'll enjoy this.

[KarlXII]

To rasoforos:

World politics isn't about equality and what's fair, it's about one nation having an advantage over another nation for it's own interests. Naturally, this missle luanch was completely against US interests, regardless of our own missle testing.

Oh, and yeah, Kim Jong Fail forgot about the last missle they launched which.....fell into the sea....

[Samurai Waki]

I'm beginning to believe that NK's missile technology is designed more on the physics of a shotgun shell, and less on the physics of a bullet.

"Well if we fire a million of these things, at least one of em' has to hit something."

[Shaka_Khan]

Epic fail:
http://www.reuters.com/article/world...5341FP20090405

Carry on.

[Xiahou]

Epic fail:
http://www.reuters.com/article/world...5341FP20090405

That's really the best possible outcome. Had it been a success, we would have done nothing and the DPRK would have black market buyers lining up for their missile technology.
A failure might at least put off the inevitable a few more years. We'll still probably do nothing, but at least we save a little face since the missile didn't work right.

Edit:
Oh look!

The United Nations failed to agree on a response to North Korea's long-range rocket launch despite pressure from Washington and its allies for action, while regional powers weighed the extent of the new security threat.

To quote one of my favorite ambassadors: "The Secretariat Building in New York has 38 stories. If you lost ten stories today, it wouldn't make a bit of difference."

[Beefy187]

Treating poor people equally is humane thing

But North Korea isn't just a poor country but they are an country ran by a mad dictator.

Not only they have kidnapped people from various countries like Japan, Korea and even America, they were also responsible for blowing up airplanes, and blackmailing like 'hey Japan. If you shoot this "satelite" we will have to attack you"

They also tried to make Nukes.

If USA doesn't make a move, then Asia will be left with South Korea, Taiwan and Japan (who doesn't even have a significant force) against North Korea and China along with maybe bit of Russia.

North Korea has to go ASAP.

If not, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that they don't do anything stupid in the next few years and the next heir is someone decent.

[Kralizec]

This may sound terrible to some, but I sincerely hope that North Korea completely collapses after Kim Jong Ill bites the dust. Every other country in the region would be better off.