Tuesday, March 31, 2009

North Korea Could Have Nuclear Warheads for Missiles

http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20090331_6683.php

The subject title is referring to the shorter ranged rockets capable of hitting Japan. Think of Japan in the position of Israel. Maybe North Korea hasn’t sworn to destroy Japan, but I would be surprised if a lot of Japanese aren’t just a little bit more worried about their future.

One of the most interesting passages in the article was the following:

“News reports from Japan indicate that Iranian missile experts arrived in North Korea early this month to help prepare the launch, Agence France-Presse reported Sunday. In a letter carried by the 15-person team, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad emphasized his support for space technology collaboration between the two nations (Agence France-Presse/Australian, March 30).”

Why would Iran, being in such good relations with Russia help North Korea with their launch. And what kind of help could they be? Further down we read our answer. If the North Korean long-range missile works, Iran wants to buy some: "The sale of this system to Iran probably means hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of North Korea," said analyst Bruce Bechtol. "This is all about proliferation" (Evan Ramstad, Wall Street Journal, March 31)."

South Korea isn’t as happy about North Korea’s missiles as Iran is: "If North Korea did not have a desire of acquiring nuclear weapons, then I think North Korea’s stated intention of launching a space launch vehicle would cause no qualms but the truth of the matter is North Korea does have a desire to develop nuclear weapons so this does precisely make it a very serious concern for them to acquire the technology to deliver nuclear weapons," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told the Financial Times."

. . .

"South Korea has indicated that it might formally join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative, which seeks to interdict illicit WMD shipments on the high seas, if its neighbor goes ahead with a missile launch (see GSN, March 16).

"Pyongyang yesterday warned Seoul against such a move, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

"If the South takes part in the multilateral operations, called the Proliferation Security Initiative, over our plan to launch a rocket, we will immediately take a stern countermeasure," according to the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

"It added that South Korean involvement in the program would be a "violent challenge to our dignity and autonomous rights and an unpardonable crime to lead the whole nation into a nuclear war.”

North Korea appears to be holding a couple of American journalists hostage, to prevent America from taking any action against the upcoming launch. NK claims the two journalists are spies. They are “Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters working for Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033002689.html?hpid=moreheadlines Hey you dumb North Koreans, don’t you know who your buddies are?

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