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While this isnt anything super happy or anything, its something to take into account in all the future trips towards Japan and everything, and probably should be discussed.



North Korea Fires Three Missiles

Tuesday , July 04, 2006

WASHINGTON — North Korea may have tried to fire a long-range missile, but it failed in flight, two U.S. officials told FOX News on Tuesday. Two non-guided, medium-range Scud-style missiles were also fired, North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed.

Japanese public broadcasting channel NHK first reported the missile launches. The two Scud missiles landed in the Sea of Japan, the first about 360 miles from mainland Japan, NHK said. Japan's Kyodo news agency said the missiles were believed to be mid-range Rodong missiles, and landed about 300 miles off the western coast of Japan's Hokkaido Island.

President Bush was briefed on the activity around 4:20 p.m. EDT, after the first missile was launched at 2:30 p.m. EDT. That was right around the same time that NASA successfully launched the Discovery Space Shuttle into orbit for a 13-day mission.

Shortly after the first launch, Japanese government officials were trying to determine whether either of the first two missiles could have been a Taepodong 2, long-range ballistic missile that has been sitting on a launch pad for weeks. One U.S. government official told FOX News that if it were a Taepodong missile, it was "a real big dud."

"The launch appears not to be the launch that has been in the news. This appears to be a launch of a lesser variety of Scud missiles," a Pentagon official said before the third and failed long-range missile launch.

The two U.S. officials later told FOX News that the long-range missile was the third rocket to go up. It failed within seconds of its launch. A Defense Department official said the U.S. took no action because the missiles posed no threat to the United States or its interests.

Last month, the head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, said he was "very confident" the United States could take out a North Korean missile aimed at the U.S.

The United States and North Korea have been butting heads recently over Pyongyang's threatening to launch a missile that could reach parts of the western U.S. North Korea is believed to have nuclear weapons and an intercontinental missile would give nuclear weapons a delivery system.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said the U.S. mission is "urgently consulting with members of the Security Council" on next steps, but no U.N. Security Council meeting had yet been scheduled for the evening. Bolton is personally manning the phones.

Asked about the missiles, Han Song Ryol, deputy chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview: "We diplomats do not know what the military is doing."

Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said on Monday that North Korea should try to avoid "any type of provocative activity" and return to negotiations on its nuclear weapons program.

"They have heard from just about everybody in the international community, including China, including Russia, that that would be not only extremely unwise, it would be opposed by all the countries in the world," Burns said in a taped interview with C-SPAN.

State Department spokeswoman Julie Reside added that if North Korea were to try to launch a missile, "the U.S. would respond appropriately, including by taking the necessary measures to protect ourselves."

Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger said that the latest episode by North Korea "ought to indicate how much more money" needs to be invested in missile defense programs.

"Whether that missile worked this time or not, as long as they can play around with these things ... sooner or later they're going to get something" that can reach the United States, he said.

In anticipation of North Korea's provocations, NORAD placed its Colorado headquarters on a heightened state of alert a few weeks ago. An official at Northcom's Peterson Air Force base told FOX News the decision was not routine, but based on prudent planning.

The decision to raise the threat level to "bravo plus," one step higher than "alpha" or "low" threat level, comes as Northcom closely watches actions by North Korea.

"We are prepared to defend the homeland," one U.S. defense official said while refusing to discuss any specific threats.

A former North Korea coordinator for the United States, Amb. Wendy Sherman, told FOX News that Pyongyang probably waited until July 4 to try the launch because that date was "symbolic and had meaning."

"It doesn't surprise me that they picked our Independence Day. ... They would look for a time when it was difficult for the U.S. to respond," she said, adding that even if the launch failed, the display was effective because "they're getting their way in getting the world's attention that North Korea is a serious threat to the world."

FOX News' Bret Baier, Nick Simeone and Sharon Kehnemui Liss and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

luckily, got in ocean. One, if war does occur, we will crush them, two, i hope it does not, japan will be ruined. this is something to be alarmed about.

yes, i was exaggerate a bit, but still, i do not want war

I know. I'm watching the news channels for comments from N.K., hoping it was an error. Though I know if it wasn't, they certainly aren't going to admit it was a hostile act.

They'd better not hit JAPAN or CANADA! I like Japan (though I haven't been there) and I want to live there and have a job and be happy. If it gets blown up what will happen?

And I'm scared for everyone! crying I hope they don't attack! NO MORE WORLD WARS! crying crying

crying crying crying crying How can anyone even try to do this!!!???? crying crying crying crying crying crying War is far too evil!!!!!!!




but if you spell evil backwards you get live.

Hm, Korea fired another long range missile this morning, but it fell in the sea of Japan. This makes Seven Missiles in all.

The Japanese have closed all ports to Korean ships, and have sent out something akin to coast guards to keep korean ships away from Japanese waters.

Summary: The Japanese are angry at Korea.