World

North Korea Launches Short Range Test Missiles

by Rob Walker | July 2, 2009 at 05:28 am

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North Korea has test-fired four short-range missiles on Thursday, bringing to six the total number of missiles fired in the last few months. The tests come only a few weeks after North Korea threatened to fire on Hawaii.

Local North Korean media reported the missiles were of the surface-to-ship variety, and were fired after talks broke down between North and South korea over a joint industrial zone.

The four missiles were launched in the late afternoon and early evening from a base near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, a South Korean defense spokesman told South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

The US sees no indication that North Korea is ready to test a long-range ballistic missile and says there are no signs of a launch during the Fourth of July celebrations.

North Korea test-fired a third short-range missile on Thursday, a South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman said.
Reuters quoted the spokesman, whose name was reported, as saying the missile was fired at around 8 p.m. local time. He gave no further details.

Earlier Thursday, the ministry said North Korea had test-fired two short-range missiles.

The North apparently launched several short range missiles into the ocean even as South Korean delegates were making their journey back from the North's territory.

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albertacowpoke

at 07:53 on July 2nd, 2009

Here we go again. That Regime likes moving from one crisis to another. Can his desire for attention be this strong? One of these days he may regret the attention he gets. Unfortunately people are involved.

158

at 11:56 on July 2nd, 2009

n korea is unpredictable. they may do anything.,

a211423

at 16:34 on July 2nd, 2009

The brinkmanship of North Korea is not new, and they will continue the tactic as long as it works. U.N. Sanctions like the ability to board and search their vessels with their permission is effective if most countries participate. There should be assurance that if a N. Korean vessel shows up in Singapore, a request to search will be issued.

For me the larger issue is the safe storage and protection of all nuclear materical by countries who are in possession of nuclear weapons. The threat of nuclear material being stolen by terrorists groups is real and present; however, smaller terrorists organizations probably do not have the sophistication to deliver a nuclear device. But what would prevent them from selling it to someone who can.