N.Korea launches more missiles

[efq]

North Korea has reportedly launched two short-range missiles off its east coast, heightening tensions in the wake of its nuclear test.


The Yonhap news agency cited unnamed government sources as saying the weapons have a range of about 80 miles.
One was a surface-to-air missile and the other was a ground-to-ship missile, reports said.
Kim Jong Il's rogue state said it had successfully detonated an atomic bomb for the second time in its history on Monday. It also launched three short-range missiles.
The test prompted unanimous condemnation from the UN Security Council.
Chinese and South Korean defence chiefs are to hold a rare meeting to plan their response to the escalating crisis.
North Korea said it was prepared for any attack by the United States following its announcement of the missile launch.
"Our army and people are fully ready for battle… against any reckless pre-emptive attack," the North Korea News Agency reported.
The UN is now starting work on a new resolution describing Monday's underground nuclear blast as a clear violation of a 2006 resolution banning such tests.

China has condemned the nuclear test, but it won't agree to sanctions it fears would destabilise the country, potentially triggering waves of North Korean refugees across its shared 800 mile border.

South Korea has announced it will become a full member of a US-led initiative to curb the movement of weapons of mass destruction in and out of North Korea.
The North has previously said that Seoul's participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative would be seen as "a declaration of war".
Analysts say Kim Jong Ill is anxious to strengthen his political position within his regime before he can announce which of his three sons will succeed him.
"North Korea can only be hawkish this time because time is running out for Kim," said Jang Cheol Hyeon from the National Security Strategy Institute in South Korea.
"The recent military moves are yet another signal of trying to invite the US to negotiations."

N.Korea have guts, I'll give them that. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Wor...2C_Reports_Say

[Accipiter]

Are they serious?

I hate americans but srsly, america would stamp on them. America could just nuke them if they felt like it, korea can just try and detonate when its flying 10 foot infront of them, Gl.

[GrandTheftAudio]

All aboard for the nuclear war.

[Technologic]

North Korea is so awesome, when i grow up i want to be an authoritarian dictatorship

[Fez]

They can only send their missiles to their local neighbours and since America is 5 lightyears away from them, you can tell they'd sort things out before Mr.Dictator even got to taste his morning marmalade.

[UKIP]

As I have said before, North Korea is only the start of a potential crisis which could occur, say if the worst came to the worst and North and South became locked in a war against eachother, the United States and NATO would obviously support the South. That leaves the question that was answered in the 1950s, will the Peoples Republic of China become involved as the communist regime in North Korea collapses and NATO and South Korean forces near its borders, or like in the last Korean War, will the Peoples Republic of China send a few hundred thousand 'volunteers', or worse.

[Technologic]

China is different, there is too much at stake for them to support the DPRK, and the only reason they 'support' them is to stop the whole population of the country fleeing into China. They know for a fact that as soon as the government collapses everyone will leave, through China mainly. The fact is, the only way to rid of the government in the DPRK is to slowly pick it apart, not blow it up.

[UKIP]

The Peoples Republic of China supports the North Korean regime, because a united Korea would mean South Korea in control, and South Korea is a product of the United States, if the PROC had such a prosperous country on its border that has free elections and so forth, that would undermine the social communist policy within China, therefore making the country unstable. Add that with the fact that communist regimes are always paranoid, China certainly do not want America on its border.

[Technologic]

Yes but you're only talking about the politics of it all, Who is China's largest customer? The US. The economy will always be too large an issue to go to war. If China goes against the west they lose virtually ALL commerce.

Also, nobody would dare strike the DPRK anyway, like half the population is in the armed forces

[UKIP]

None of that matters to communists, take the USSR and USA from 1945 to the 1990's, the USSR was prepared to block, invade and even launch nuclear strikes on the United States. They don't care about their people, just take the Japanese Empire as an example in World War II, they refused to give up, despite massive casualties and promoting suicide missions amongst their soldiers. That is the way it works in that part of the world.

If China feels the United States/South Korea are a threat to the regime then it will act. As for numbers of armed forces, Iraq had a large army yet NATO pushed it out of Kuwait when its army was at its strongest. Numbers aren't everything. The chances of North Korean armed forces joining the South Korean forces would be quite strong, as many want a united korea and once they see the different between socialist north and democratic south it would certainly make most of the soldiers whose people are in poverty, think who their alligences are with.