North Korea prepare to test a long-range ballistic missile

[Lieutenant Abdul-Shakur]

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leveled a warning Monday that "it would be a very serious matter and indeed a provocative act" if North Korea tested a long-range ballistic missile.

Rice's remarks came after Bush administration officials said North Korea has apparently finished loading fuel into a ballistic missile, the latest signs that the reclusive communist state will soon test a weapon that could reach the United States.

Testing would abrogate several North Korean commitments and "it would be taken with utmost seriousness," Rice said at a news conference.

U.S. intelligence indicates that the long-range missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2, is assembled and fully fueled, said two officials, who requested anonymity because the information comes from sensitive intelligence methods.

Rice cited North Korea's pledge of a missile moratorium in 1999 and its reiteration of the moratorium in 2002. She said North Korea also agreed in six-party negotiations not to test long-range missiles.

She said the United States was working very closely with its allies on the problem, but did not say what might be done if North Korea tested the missile.

The fueling reportedly gives the North a launch window of about a month. Unlike other preparatory steps the United States has tracked, the fueling process is very difficult to reverse, and most likely means the test will go ahead, one senior administration official said.

The precise timing is unclear, the official said.

The United States assumes North Korea would only perform a test, not fire the weapon as an act of war, and could claim afterward that it was launching a space mission, the official said. That would still be considered a violation of the moratorium North Korea has observed since 1999, the official said.

The test would probably take place over water, not land, and occur during daylight hours, the official said. North Korea is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.

The United States would probably know "within seconds" that a launch had taken place, the official said.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman would not comment on whether U.S. intelligence indicates that the North Koreans are preparing for a possible missile launch. Whitman said the Pentagon uses the term "launch," instead of test, because of the possibility that the North Koreans have hostile intent.

Whitman would not say whether the United States might activate its missile defense systems in the event of a North Korean launch.

Although the three-stage Taepodong 2 could theoretically reach the U.S. West Coast, most experts think North Korea is still a long way off from perfecting the technology that would make the missile accurate and able to carry a nuclear payload.

Robert Zoellick, the departing deputy secretary of state, said North Korea's fueling of the missile became known only recently.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said he was holding preliminary consultations with Security Council members on steps that might be taken if North Korea fires a missile, "because it would obviously be very serious."

"But we don't really know what the North Korean intentions are at this point, so I think we need to wait for the event," he said.

"Obviously the first preference is that the North Koreans not light the missile off," Bolton said, noting that the United States, Japan, Australia, South Korea and other countries had urged North Korea to abandon any missile firing.

Aboard Air Force One with President George W. Bush, White House spokesman Tony Snow declined specific comment on reports that the fueling is complete.

"North Korea has imposed a moratorium on launching missiles," Snow said. "We hope it will continue that moratorium and we hope it also will abide by commitments it made," last year to dismantle nuclear weapons and renounce further development of them.

Snow said President Bush has made some of the administration's recent telephone calls to more than a dozen heads of state about the indications of a coming launch.

Snow would not identify which leaders spoke with Bush. He also said U.S. officials have talked directly with North Korean representatives in New York, a reference to a diplomatic channel through the North's United Nations mission. Snow would not disclose contents of the discussion, but diplomats from numerous countries have been telling the North Koreans to back off any plans for a missile test launch.

North Korea referred to its missile program for the first time Monday, but has not said it intends to perform the test.

A North Korean state television broadcast, monitored in Seoul, South Korea, cited a Russian editorial on the missile and said the North "has the due right to have a missile that can immediately halt the United States' reckless aerial espionage activity."

The North has repeatedly complained in recent weeks about alleged U.S. spy planes watching its activities.

A test would be the North's first significant missile launch since a 1998 test that send a missile over Japanese territory. Pyongyang began a self-imposed test moratorium in 1999, even while continuing separate development of a nuclear weapons program.

North Korea says it needed nuclear weapons and a such potential delivery systems as a missile to counter what it claims are U.S. intentions to invade or topple the government. The United States has repeatedly denied any plans to invade.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200074,00.html

[No Compute]

Korea will test it and the US won't do shit.

[51 cent]

agreed.  that's what happens when you put all your eggs in the wrong basket based on perceived, not actual threats.  If N. Korea was sitting on that much oil we'd have been in there like WHAT awhile ago.

[Real American]

Korea will test it and the US won't do shit.

Actually we are going to shoot them down.




http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200263,00.html

TOKYO — The United States has activated its new ground-based interceptor missile defense system in response to a possible North Korean missile test, according to a published report.

A Washington Times story in Tuesday's editions says the United States is considering intercepting the missile if North Korea goes ahead with the test.

For the full Washington Times report click here.

The U.S. missile defense system is described in the article of being made up by 11 long-range interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

The system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials said.

The report quotes unnamed U.S. officials as saying two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling in waters off the Korean peninsula and would be among the first sensors that would trigger the use of interceptors.

A senior Bush administration official is quoted as saying that an option being considered is to shoot down the Taepodong-2 missile.

The report came after Pyongyang declared Tuesday it is free to conduct missile tests despite a self-imposed moratorium, saying it is not bound by prior agreements and that outsiders have no right to criticize its actions.

[J Bananas]

dudes, i will go wreck shit in north korea if we gotta go there, be chillin, cruising in a tank, listening to some juelz on my ipod while i gun down fleeing villagers, it'll be like vice city. there's no reason why a small shithole region with a dictatorship government should be contemplating the right to have nuclear weapons. no one needs north korea except during christmas time when we buy all the lights made there, so fuck em. we can afford to wipe them off the map if need be. do you know what i mean?

[Lieutenant Abdul-Shakur]

Korea will test it and the US won't do shit.

Actually we are going to shoot them down.

the same way we were going to shoot down the irani nuclear sites ?? c'mon dogg...we all know U.S strategic plan for Iran/North Korea is like a plane without wings....it'll never take off

[Word to Everything]

dudes, i will go wreck shit in north korea if we gotta go there, be chillin, cruising in a tank, listening to some juelz on my ipod while i gun down fleeing villagers, it'll be like vice city. there's no reason why a small shithole region with a dictatorship government should be contemplating the right to have nuclear weapons. no one needs north korea except during christmas time when we buy all the lights made there, so fuck em. we can afford to wipe them off the map if need be. do you know what i mean?

North Korea will eat you up harder than Vietnam 

Plus China/Russia will guarantee you lose by helping North Korea with weapons/intellgience.

Nothing America can do but nuke the whole country and you know that won't happen 

China got a movement going on...they also teaming up with Africa/Middle East.

China out of isolation equals a weak ass America.  Hustle Read Hard.

[J Bananas]

dudes, i will go wreck shit in north korea if we gotta go there, be chillin, cruising in a tank, listening to some juelz on my ipod while i gun down fleeing villagers, it'll be like vice city. there's no reason why a small shithole region with a dictatorship government should be contemplating the right to have nuclear weapons. no one needs north korea except during christmas time when we buy all the lights made there, so fuck em. we can afford to wipe them off the map if need be. do you know what i mean?

North Korea will eat you up harder than Vietnam 

Plus China/Russia will guarantee you lose by helping North Korea with weapons/intellgience.

Nothing America can do but nuke the whole country and you know that won't happen 

China got a movement going on...they also teaming up with Africa/Middle East.

China out of isolation equals a weak ass America.  Hustle Read Hard.

ur trippin Alemayehu , the north korean army prolly has what, under 200,000 troops? u think they can they can play us like the vietnamese did almost 40 years ago with the technology we have today? lol i especially like the chinese alliance with africa you're hoping for, maybe theyll come with some relief and development for ur homeland since America doesnt give a shit? hahaha

[Word to Everything]

dudes, i will go wreck shit in north korea if we gotta go there, be chillin, cruising in a tank, listening to some juelz on my ipod while i gun down fleeing villagers, it'll be like vice city. there's no reason why a small shithole region with a dictatorship government should be contemplating the right to have nuclear weapons. no one needs north korea except during christmas time when we buy all the lights made there, so fuck em. we can afford to wipe them off the map if need be. do you know what i mean?

North Korea will eat you up harder than Vietnam 

Plus China/Russia will guarantee you lose by helping North Korea with weapons/intellgience.

Nothing America can do but nuke the whole country and you know that won't happen 

China got a movement going on...they also teaming up with Africa/Middle East.

China out of isolation equals a weak ass America.  Hustle Read Hard.

ur trippin Alemayehu , the north korean army prolly has what, under 200,000 troops? u think they can they can play us like the vietnamese did almost 40 years ago with the technology we have today? lol i especially like the chinese alliance with africa you're hoping for, maybe theyll come with some relief and development for ur homeland since America doesnt give a shit? hahaha

lol@the ethiopan name...you don't know Eritreans at all.

North Korean army is more than 1.2 million men.

Son, are you stupid ?  Technology can only do so much.

Chinese/African/Middle East alliance just means less resources and influence for America...all you can do is sit here with your nukes.

[virtuoso]

Reading the comments of many people in this room is just another indictment of the sheer ignorance that most of you have, under 200,00 troops, for god sake such a comment just once again proves that you dont read, you are totally uninformed and because your totally uninformed you will fall for absolutely anything. A simple piece of government propoganda seems to be all it takes for you to have this deep seated belief that everything is so great and that evil is a simple black and white. You can not see outside the box at all you only feel comfortable in dealing with the very trivial because you dont have any understanding of just basic facts, were not talking about startling revelations but just basic current affairs.

The best example of this was when and im not just including the majority of people in here but when it was first mentioned that Al Queda were involved and aided by the U.S and Britain in Kosovo there were instantly cries of conspiracy nuts, and then low and behold slowly journalists and political scientists are saying the exact same thing and then the reports from the government leak out highlighting that yes Al Queda was involved and then suddenly you change from a stance of your a liar to either well im not bothered ir doesnt affect me i dont care or you dont even offer a response you pretend that its not there so once again you remain cocooned inside a delusional mindstate.

As for the dumbass remark you made about China jesus christ any economist will tell you in no uncertain terms that output has rocketed, economic growth is soaring, technology is all being moved to China, manufacturing is all being relocated to China so their economy is happily thriving. Meanwhile as they grow and grow they become more of an ominous threat, you should be crazy with rage that Rumsfeld sold North Korea nuclear reactors, yep once again not a startling revelation but something which was disclosed some time ago, you should be sick with rage that America is doing so much to build China up because its safe to say that they probably have maybe more than 200,000 troops, that and their insatiable drive to grow the economy leads to a danger of needing to expand outside the borders after all China is becoming extremely overcrowded.

[Mr. O]

dudes, i will go wreck shit in north korea if we gotta go there, be chillin, cruising in a tank, listening to some juelz on my ipod while i gun down fleeing villagers, it'll be like vice city. there's no reason why a small shithole region with a dictatorship government should be contemplating the right to have nuclear weapons. no one needs north korea except during christmas time when we buy all the lights made there, so fuck em. we can afford to wipe them off the map if need be. do you know what i mean?

North Korea will eat you up harder than Vietnam 

Plus China/Russia will guarantee you lose by helping North Korea with weapons/intellgience.

Nothing America can do but nuke the whole country and you know that won't happen 

China got a movement going on...they also teaming up with Africa/Middle East.

China out of isolation equals a weak ass America.  Hustle Read Hard.

ur trippin Alemayehu , the north korean army prolly has what, under 200,000 troops? u think they can they can play us like the vietnamese did almost 40 years ago with the technology we have today? lol i especially like the chinese alliance with africa you're hoping for, maybe theyll come with some relief and development for ur homeland since America doesnt give a shit? hahaha

who knows what they got...maybe more...but either way...launching that test missle is serious though..especiall when it hits near u.s.

nobody should underestimate anyone's capability.

[WestCoasta]

if only these people would actually sit back and think a minute

why are people out to destroy the world?   I'm really curious

[Mr. O]

if only these people would actually sit back and think a minute

why are people out to destroy the world?   I'm really curious

to be on fear factor.