US: North Korea loading rocket on launch pad

[headhuntersix]

By PAMELA HESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea is loading a Taepodong rocket on its east coast launch pad in anticipation of the launch of a communications satellite early next month, U.S. officials say. U.S. counterproliferation and intelligence officials have confirmed Japanese news reports of the expected launch between April 4 and 8.

North Korea announced its intention to launch the satellite in February. Regional powers worry the claim is a cover for the launch of a long-range missile capable of reaching Alaska. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said earlier this month that all indications suggest North Korea will in fact launch a satellite.

North Korea faked a satellite launch in 1998 to cloak a missile development test. In 2006, it launched a Taepodong-2 that blew up less than a minute into flight.

Both the satellite launch rocket and long-range missile use similar technology, and arms control experts fear even a satellite launch would be a test toward eventually launching a long-range missile.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have urged North Korea to refrain from launching a satellite or missile, calling it a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution barring the country from ballistic activity.

North Korea insists it bears the right to develop its space program and on Tuesday warned the U.S., Japan and its allies not to interfere with the launch.

Officials at the South Korea's National Intelligence Service and the Defense Ministry were not available for comment early Thursday in Seoul.

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Wi Sung-lac, said Wednesday after returning from talks with his Beijing counterparts, that a launch would trigger a response.

"If North Korea launches rocket, certain countermeasures are unavoidable," he said. He refused to elaborate, saying the measures, including any sanctions, would be discussed among U.N. Security Council member nations.

It probably won't be clear if the latest launch is a satellite or a missile test until footage can be analyzed after the event; the trajectory of a missile is markedly different from that of a satellite.

Analysts have been watching for signs of a satellite or missile on the launch pad in Musudan-ni, the northeast coastal launch site. Satellite imagery from March 16 showed progress toward mounting a rocket, with a crane hovering over the launch pad, said Christian LeMiere, an editor at Jane's Intelligence Review in London.

He said that once mounted, scientists would need at least a week to fuel and carry out tests before any launch. Images from earlier this month did not indicate the rocket or missile had been mounted, he said Wednesday.

---

Associated Press Writer Jean H. Lee in Seoul contributed to this repo

[headhuntersix]

What happened to hope and change...and nice language and big fat hugs...turns out there are some people u just can't reach, such as the midget. The damm Japs are pinging over this, if that things does anything but go straight up they're gonna knock it down.

[Hereford]

Does Japan have a military again yet?

[240 is Back]

holy crap!


WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea is loading a Taepodong rocket on its east coast launch pad in anticipation of the launch of a communications satellite early next month, U.S. officials say. U.S. counterproliferation and intelligence officials have confirmed Japanese news reports of the expected launch between April 4 and 8.

North Korea announced its intention to launch the satellite in February. Regional powers worry the claim is a cover for the launch of a long-range missile capable of reaching Alaska. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said earlier this month that all indications suggest North Korea will in fact launch a satellite.

North Korea faked a satellite launch in 1998 to cloak a missile development test. In 2006, it launched a Taepodong-2 that blew up less than a minute into flight.

Both the satellite launch rocket and long-range missile use similar technology, and arms control experts fear even a satellite launch would be a test toward eventually launching a long-range missile.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have urged North Korea to refrain from launching a satellite or missile, calling it a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution barring the country from ballistic activity.

North Korea insists it bears the right to develop its space program and on Tuesday warned the U.S., Japan and its allies not to interfere with the launch.

Officials at the South Korea's National Intelligence Service and the Defense Ministry were not available for comment early Thursday in Seoul.

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Wi Sung-lac, said Wednesday after returning from talks with his Beijing counterparts, that a launch would trigger a response.

"If North Korea launches rocket, certain countermeasures are unavoidable," he said. He refused to elaborate, saying the measures, including any sanctions, would be discussed among U.N. Security Council member nations.

It probably won't be clear if the latest launch is a satellite or a missile test until footage can be analyzed after the event; the trajectory of a missile is markedly different from that of a satellite.

Analysts have been watching for signs of a satellite or missile on the launch pad in Musudan-ni, the northeast coastal launch site. Satellite imagery from March 16 showed progress toward mounting a rocket, with a crane hovering over the launch pad, said Christian LeMiere, an editor at Jane's Intelligence Review in London.

He said that once mounted, scientists would need at least a week to fuel and carry out tests before any launch. Images from earlier this month did not indicate the rocket or missile had been mounted, he said Wednesday.

[240 is Back]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday a potential missile launch by North Korea would be a provocative act that would have consequences for talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

Clinton's comments came as a U.S. official said North Korea had positioned what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile on a launch pad in what could be a preparation for a launch.

"We have made it very clear that the North Koreans pursue this pathway at a cost and with consequences to the six-party talks which we would like to see revived and moving forward as quickly as possible," she told reporters on a visit to Mexico City.

"This provocative action ... will not go unnoticed and there will be consequences," she said.

[Hugo Chavez]

Spies risked their lives to get us this inside look at the missile in action.

[SAMSON123]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday a potential missile launch by North Korea would be a provocative act that would have consequences for talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

Clinton's comments came as a U.S. official said North Korea had positioned what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile on a launch pad in what could be a preparation for a launch.

"We have made it very clear that the North Koreans pursue this pathway at a cost and with consequences to the six-party talks which we would like to see revived and moving forward as quickly as possible," she told reporters on a visit to Mexico City.

"This provocative action ... will not go unnoticed and there will be consequences," she said.

The Koreans should tie Hitlery to the rocket and then launch it at america...two for one deal there.

[Deicide]

Does Japan have a military again yet?

Yes, a very large one; we have been forcing them to buy our weapons for decades.

[headhuntersix]

No...they're military is small and most of their weapon systems are old. They are building a first rate navy to deal with with both China and NKorea. As usual Decide has no idea what he's talking about.

[loco]

What happened to hope and change...and nice language and big fat hugs...turns out there are some people u just can't reach, such as the midget. The damm Japs are pinging over this, if that things does anything but go straight up they're gonna knock it down.

Maybe it will go straight up, then come straight down, right back at them.

[2ND COMING]

Spies risked their lives to get us this inside look at the missile in action.

lmaooo

[Deicide]

No...they're military is small and most of their weapon systems are old. They are building a first rate navy to deal with with both China and NKorea. As usual Decide has no idea what he's talking about.

 

USD)   Date of information   
—  World Total 1,470,000,000,000 2008[2]
—  NATO Total 1,049,875,309,000 [citation needed]
1  United States 651,163,000,000 2009[3][4]
—  European Union Total 312,259,000,000 2008-2009
2  People's Republic of China 70,242,645,000 2009[5]
3  France 61,571,330,000 2008-2009[6]
4  United Kingdom 61,280,890,000 2008[7]
5  Russia 50,000,000,000 2009[8][9]
6  Japan 48,860,000,000 2008[10]
7  Germany 45,930,000,000 2008[11]
8  Italy 40,050,000,000 2008[12]
9  India 32,700,000,000 2009-2010[13]
10  Saudi Arabia 31,050,000,000 2008[14]
11  Turkey 30,936,000,000 2008[15]
12  South Korea 28,500,000,000 2008[16]
13  Australia 24,802,000,000 2008[17]
14  Brazil 23,972,836,012 2009[18]
15  Canada 19,507,013,000 2008-2009[19]
16  Spain 18,974,000,000 2008 (est.)[20]
17  Iraq 17,900,000,000 2008
18  Israel 13,300,000,000 2009[21]
19  Netherlands 12,000,000,000 2008[22]
20  Poland 11,791,000,000 2009[23]
21  Republic of China (Taiwan) 10,500,000,000 2008
22  Greece 7,934,000,000 2007[24]
23  Pakistan 7,800,000,000 2008
24  Singapore 7,600,000,000 2009[25]
25  Colombia 7,480,000,000 2007[26]
26  Sweden 6,309,137,714 2007[27]
27  Iran 6,300,000,000 2005[28]
28  Mexico 6,070,000,000 2006[29][30]
29  Norway 5,725,000,000 2007
30  North Korea 5,500,000,000 2005[31]
31  Chile 5,193,000,000 2007[32]
32  Thailand 5,000,000,000 2009 [33]
33  Algeria 4,997,000,000 2009
34  Indonesia 4,740,000,000 2008
35  Argentina 4,300,000,000 NA
36  Morocco 4,143,000,000 2009
37  South Africa 4,067,879,840 2008-2009[34]
38  Belgium 4,000,000,000 2007[35]
39  Venezuela 4,000,000,000 2007
40  Finland 3,700,000,000 2009[36]
41  Portugal 3,497,800,000 2003
42  Egypt 3,300,000,000 2003[37]
43  Denmark 3,271,600,000 2003
44  Vietnam 3,200,000,000 2005 [38]
45  Kuwait 3,007,000,000 2005
46  Austria 2,978,000,000 FY08[39]
47  Romania 2,900,000,000 2007[40]
48  Czech Republic 2,840,000,000 2008[41]
49  Switzerland 2,548,000,000 2005
50  Azerbaijan 2,460,000,000 2009[42][43]
51  Ukraine 2,066,806,000 2008[44]
52  Angola 2,000,000,000 2005
53  Peru 1,829,300,000 2008 [45]
54  Malaysia 1,690,000,000 NA
55  Sri Lanka 1,610,000,000 2009 [46]
56  United Arab Emirates 1,600,000,000 NA
57  New Zealand 1,526,000,000 2008
58  Slovakia 1,408,000,000 2008
59  Jordan 1,392,000,000 2005
61  Hungary 1,376,000,000 2007
62  Philippines 1,348,000,000 2007
63  Bulgaria 1,339,000,000 2008[47]
64  Libya 1,300,000,000 2007
65  Ireland 1,300,000,000 2007
66  Serbia 1,200,000,000 2007
67  Croatia 1,140,000,000 2008
68  Yemen 992,200,000 2005
69  Syria 858,000,000 2005
70  Bangladesh 836,900,000 2007
71  Georgia 780,000,000 2007
72  Nigeria 737,600,000 2005
73  Qatar 694,000,000 2005
74  Cuba 694,000,000 NA
75  Bahrain 627,700,000 2005
76  Lithuania 621,000,000 2007
77  Sudan 587,000,000 2004
78  Lebanon 540,600,000 2004
79  Armenia 495,000,000 2009[48]
80  Belarus 420,500,000 2006
81  Ethiopia 400,000,000 2008/9[49][50]
82  Cyprus 384,000,000 NA
83  Uruguay 371,200,000 2005
84  Slovenia 370,000,000 2007
85  Tunisia 356,000,000 NA
86  Madagascar 329,000,000 2005
87  Botswana 325,500,000 2005
88  Brunei 290,700,000 2004
89  Kenya 280,500,000 2005
90  Estonia 259,000,000 FY06
91  Oman 252,990,000 2005
92  Côte d'Ivoire 246,600,000 2005
93  Albania 235,000,000 2007
94  Bosnia and Herzegovina 234,300,000 NA
95  Luxembourg 231,076,480 2003
96  Cameroon 230,200,000 2005
97  Kazakhstan 221,800,000 FY02
98  Eritrea 220,100,000 2005
99  Uzbekistan 200,000,000 NA
100  Uganda 192,800,000 2005
101  Dominican Republic 180,000,000 FY98
102  Guatemala 169,800,000 2005
103  El Salvador 161,700,000 2005
104  Equatorial Guinea 152,200,000 2005
105  Panama 150,000,000 2005
106  Namibia 149,500,000 2005
107  Bolivia 130,000,000 2005
108  Zimbabwe 124,700,000 2005
109  Afghanistan 122,400,000 2005
110  Zambia 121,700,000 2005
111  Guinea 119,700,000 2005
112  Republic of Macedonia 117,710,000 2006
113  Senegal 117,300,000 2005
114  Cambodia 112,000,000 NA
115  Mali 106,300,000 2005
116  Nepal 104,900,000 2005
117  Congo, Democratic Republic of the 103,700,000 2005
118  Benin 100,900,000 2005
119  Honduras 99,410,000 2005
120  Turkmenistan 90,000,000 NA
121  Latvia 87,000,000 2007
122  Congo, Republic of the 85,220,000 2005
123  Ghana 83,650,000 2005
124  Costa Rica [51] 83,460,000 2005
125  Mozambique 78,030,000 2005
126  Burkina Faso 74,830,000 2005
127  Chad 68,950,000 2005
128  Liberia 67,400,000 2005
129  Trinidad and Tobago 66,720,000 2003
130  Rwanda 53,660,000 2005
131  Paraguay 53,100,000 2003
132  Maldives 45,070,000 2005
133  guy 44,780,000 2005
134  Malta 44,640,000 2005
135  Burundi 43,900,000 2005
136  Swaziland 41,600,000 2005
137  Lesotho 41,100,000 2005
138  Burma NA NA
139  Fiji 36,000,000 2004
140  Tajikistan 35,400,000 FY01
141  Nicaragua 32,270,000 2005
142  Jamaica 31,170,000 2003
143  Togo 29,980,000 2005
144  Djibouti 29,050,000 2005
145  Iceland 26,000,000 2008[52]
146  Haiti 25,960,000 2003
147  Mongolia 23,100,000 FY02
148  Somalia 22,340,000 2005
149  Tanzania 21,200,000 2005
150  Mauritania 19,320,000 2005
151  Kyrgyzstan 19,200,000 FY01
152  Belize 19,000,000 2005
153  Papua New Guinea 16,900,000 2003
154  Central African Republic 16,370,000 2005
155  Malawi 15,810,000 2005
156  Seychelles 14,850,000 2005
157  Sierra Leone 14,250,000 2005
158  Comoros 12,870,000 2005
159  Mauritius 12,040,000 2005
160  Laos 11,040,000 2005
161  Guinea-Bissau 9,455,000 2005
162  Moldova 8,700,000 2004
163  Bhutan 8,281,000 2005
164  Suriname 7,494,000 2005
165  Cape Verde 7,178,000 2005
166  Guyana 6,479,000 2003
167  East Timor 4,400,000 FY03
168  Bermuda, UK overseas territory 4,030,000 2001
169  Gambia, The 1,547,000 2004
170  San Marino 700,000 2005
171  São Tomé and Príncipe 581,700 2004

With the 6th highest military expenditures in the world, yes, Japan's military is pathetic. 

[headhuntersix]

Decide...when did u train with the Japanese military and actually see how they operate. Ur an English teacher, stay in ur lane. They have a very small Defense force and are finally getting around to building a navy. They still use alot of 1970's tech in their army. They have old tanks, trucks, small arms and helicopters. U really don't know what the hell ur talking abouit. Go diagram a sentance and leave the military stuff alone.

[Deicide]

Decide...when did u train with the Japanese military and actually see how they operate. Ur an English teacher, stay in ur lane. They have a very small Defense force and are finally getting around to building a navy. They still use alot of 1970's tech in their army. They have old tanks, trucks, small arms and helicopters. U really don't know what the hell ur talking abouit. Go diagram a sentance and leave the military stuff alone.

Yes, yes. So being the 6th highest country in terms of military expenditures, what pray tell are they spending their money on? Air?

[OzmO]

Maybe the expenditure is high now because they are refitting and building new stuff like their Navy.

Regardless, Japan's military, with help from their countries laws, isn't indicative of "6th" place.  HH6 is right.

[Deicide]

Maybe the expenditure is high now because they are refitting and building new stuff like their Navy.

Regardless, Japan's military, with help from their countries laws, isn't indicative of "6th" place.  HH6 is right.

The funny thing is that as usual much of the aggression stemming from N.Korea is prompted by American foreign policy. Both S.Korea and Japan remain sattelites of the US and they march to our orders. Washington determines who is in power in Japan. The Liberal Democratic Party has been elected over and over for decades and decades because that is what Washington wants and it conveniently ignores Japanese protestation of America's military occupation of Japan, which has been ongoing for decades, resulting in rape, murder, environmental pollution and assorted other unpleasantries. Believe me, many of the problems over there would cool down if we stopped cornering N.Korea and bullying S.Korea and Japan.

[headhuntersix]

Cornering a country that threatens the worlds 8th largest economy...a country that threathens to destabilize the entire asian economy if they go to war. The same country that kidnaps Japanese and ROK citizens for prostitution. Yeah US troops have committed crimes over the 50 plus years we've been there, no excuse. But guess what, Japan lost. Now they want us there because of China and nKorea. We have a very small footprint on the Japanese mainland....very small. The South bitiches every time we deploy troops home or to Iraq because of security concerns. The ROK has no problem with our presence and we enjoy a 70% approval from ROK citizens if polls matter to u. We don't bully either country...

[Deicide]

Cornering a country that threatens the worlds 8th largest economy...a country that threathens to destabilize the entire asian economy if they go to war. The same country that kidnaps Japanese and ROK citizens for prostitution. Yeah US troops have committed crimes over the 50 plus years we've been there, no excuse. But guess what, Japan lost. Now they want us there because of China and nKorea. We have a very small footprint on the Japanese mainland....very small. The South bitiches every time we deploy troops home or to Iraq because of security concerns. The ROK has no problem with our presence and we enjoy a 70% approval from ROK citizens if polls matter to u. We don't bully either country...

The corporate and special interests in Japan may want an American military presence there but the vast majority of normal Japanese don't and they have polled this. But this is a deadend. You are a staunch imperialist, even though it is AGAINST common American interests and I am a Libertarian. There will be no reconcilation on this point. And as I have said before, you should love Obama because he is every bit as militaristic as G.W. was.

[headhuntersix]

Obama is a naive moron......I didn't mention the Japs because I would bet about half or more would like us to leave. What exactly are "common American interests". Oil isn't an intrest? Morons with nukes aren't an interest?......Common interests to the average American would be what idiot won on American idiol or who is Lindsey Lohan screwing...we do whats in our strategic best interest...we're not always right, but neither is anybody else.

[Deicide]

Obama is a naive moron......I didn't mention the Japs because I would bet about half or more would like us to leave. What exactly are "common American interests". Oil isn't an intrest? Morons with nukes aren't an interest?......Common interests to the average American would be what idiot won on American idiol or who is Lindsey Lohan screwing...we do whats in our strategic best interest...we're not always right, but neither is anybody else.

You are right; unfortunately most Americans can't even locate these places on the map. As I said it is a philosophical difference. I believe that individuals and nations have the right to self-determination. It is a difference of opinion.

[OzmO]

The funny thing is that as usual much of the aggression stemming from N.Korea is prompted by American foreign policy. Both S.Korea and Japan remain sattelites of the US and they march to our orders. Washington determines who is in power in Japan. The Liberal Democratic Party has been elected over and over for decades and decades because that is what Washington wants and it conveniently ignores Japanese protestation of America's military occupation of Japan, which has been ongoing for decades, resulting in rape, murder, environmental pollution and assorted other unpleasantries. Believe me, many of the problems over there would cool down if we stopped cornering N.Korea and bullying S.Korea and Japan.

The aggression stemming from North Korea?   North Korea is an oppressive state control by a dictator who is simply trying to advance his country.  North Korea wants the South Korean economy.  They would live nothing better than to annex South Korea.  It would have already happened if we weren't there.

And our occupation resulting in rape?  Com on.   Groups of people result in rape.  Eating bread results in homicide too.   

[Deicide]

The aggression stemming from North Korea?   North Korea is an oppressive state control by a dictator who is simply trying to advance his country.  North Korea wants the South Korean economy.  They would live nothing better than to annex South Korea.  It would have already happened if we weren't there.

And our occupation resulting in rape?  Com on.   Groups of people result in rape.  Eating bread results in homicide too.   

We don't need to occupy Japan, that is the main point.

S.Korea is armed to the teeth. Their military is much stronger than N.Korea's. You are the average American; you live and work in the US and don't get out much. Honest question.  How is American military occupation beneficial to you?

[OzmO]

We don't need to occupy Japan, that is the main point.

S.Korea is armed to the teeth. Their military is much stronger than N.Korea's. You are the average American; you live and work in the US and don't get out much. Honest question.  How is American military occupation beneficial to you?

Actually not.  I lived in the Philippines for 9 years, my father had 2 isolated tours in South Korea in the 80's stationed at Osan, After he retired from the military he worked for the Government and in the 90's and 2000's, until just last year, made hundreds of trips to South Korea, Japan and China in a diplomatic status.  And him and I are real close.   

So I'm not the average American not knowing what's going on over there.

Do we need to occupy Japan?  It's a situation left over from the cold war.  We closed quite a few bases in the 90's in the pacific and keeping Japan open allows us a way to project power.  I don't see us staying forever as our ability to project power grows longer and longer. 

[Deicide]

Actually not.  I lived in the Philippines for 9 years, my father had 2 isolated tours in South Korea in the 80's stationed at Osan, After he retired from the military he worked for the Government and in the 90's and 2000's, until just last year, made hundreds of trips to South Korea, Japan and China in a diplomatic status.  And him and I are real close.   

So I'm not the average American not knowing what's going on over there.

Do we need to occupy Japan?  It's a situation left over from the cold war.  We closed quite a few bases in the 90's in the pacific and keeping Japan open allows us a way to project power.  I don't see us staying forever as our ability to project power grows longer and longer. 

That is still not an answer to my question.

[OzmO]

Honest question.  How is American military occupation beneficial to you?

Real N. Korean aggression would affect those economies thus affecting ours.  Our presence greatly discourages it.