Japan: N. Korea Launched Missile
Media Report Missile Fell Into Sea Of Japan


(CBS/AP) North Korea test launched a missile early Wednesday morning that landed in the Sea of Japan, Japanese media reported.

North Korea launched the missile at 3 a.m. Japan time, and it crashed into the Sea of Japan several minutes later, public broadcaster NHK reported.

NHK said Japanese government officials were trying to determine whether the missile was a long-range ballistic missile that had been readied for launch recently, or whether it was a different missile.

North Korea had been believed to be preparing a test launch of its Taepodong 2 missile, which is believed able to reach parts of the United States.

Officials were not immediately available to confirm the report.

On Monday, North Korea stepped up its anti-U.S. rhetoric, accusing Washington of mounting military pressure on the regime and vowing to respond to any pre-emptive U.S. attack with an "annihilating" nuclear strike.

The threat of atomic retaliation was apparently linked to the heightened scrutiny of North Korea following reports by the United States and Japan that the reclusive state had taken steps to prepare for a test of a long-range missile.

The North's Korean Central News Agency, citing an unidentified "analyst" with the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper, accused the United States of harassing Pyongyang with war exercises, a massive arms buildup and increased aerial espionage by basing new spy planes in South Korea.

"This is a grave military provocation and blackmail to the DPRK, being an indication that the U.S. is rapidly pushing ahead in various fields with the extremely dangerous war moves," the dispatch said.

"The army and people of the DPRK are now in full preparedness to answer a pre-emptive attack with a relentless annihilating strike and a nuclear war with a mighty nuclear deterrent," the report said.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The report concluded by urging the U.S. to "get out of South Korea promptly." About 29,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the communist North.

The threat of a nuclear retaliation to a U.S. strike was an intensification of the North's customary anti-U.S. vitriol, which often accused Washington of plotting an attack on the country.

On Friday, Pyongyang accused the United States of driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula "to the brink of war," and said it is fully prepared to counter any U.S. aggression.

Washington and Japan have said in recent weeks that spy satellite images show North Korea has taken steps to prepare a long-range Taepodong-2 missile for a test-launch.

Last week, President Bush warned North Korea not to test-fire a long-range missile, saying Pyongyang must tell the world its intentions for any launch.

"Launching the missile is unacceptable," Mr. Bush said in an East Room news conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Mr. Bush said that he and the Japanese leader discussed concerns about what is loaded onto the missile and where North Korea intends to aim it. He asked for "a full briefing" from the North Koreans about their intentions.

"There have been no briefings as to what's on top of the missile. He hasn't told anybody where the missile's going," the president said in a reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. "He has an obligation, it seems like to me and to the prime minister, that there be a full briefing to those of us who are concerned about this issue as to what his intentions are."

Said Koizumi, through a translator: "Should they launch a missile, that will cause various — we would apply various pressures. ... I believe it is best that I do not discuss what specific pressures we were talking about."

Mr. Bush said the situation with Pyongyang presents an opportunity to increase global cooperation on missile defense systems.

Estimates for the range of the missile vary widely, but at least one U.S. study said it could be able to reach parts of the United States with a light payload.

Speculation that Pyongyang could fire the missile has waned in recent days, however, since the country's top ally and a major source of its energy supplies, China, publicly suggested North Korea should not to go ahead with the test.

The United States and its allies South Korea and Japan have taken quick steps over the past week to strengthen their missile defenses. Washington and Tokyo are working on a joint missile-defense shield, and South Korea is considering the purchase of American SM-2 defensive missiles for its destroyers.

The U.S. and North Korea have been in a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program since 2002. The North claims to have produced nuclear weapons, but that claim has not been publicly verified by outside analysts.

While public information on North Korea's military capabilities is murky, experts doubt that the regime has managed to develop a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on its long-range missiles.

Nonetheless, Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told U.S. lawmakers last week that officials took the potential launch reports seriously and were looking at the full range of capabilities possessed by North Korea.

Quick!!! Sanction Iran!!

this is making my work day a living fucking hell.

and they've tested four now, and it's reported they tried to fire the intercontinental missile and it failed but that's really prelim right now.

I wonder if they can reach Djibouti?

I hope there is more going on behind the scenes than what the media is reporting. This is scary shit.

they test-fired the long range, intercontinental missile but it failed 35 seconds after launch.

Phew. At least I'm in Boston.

Think NK can swing this and say they were just launching fireworks for the 4th?

I like US and A!

But the long range missile failed right? Looks like some heads are going to roll in North Korea tonight...

Also, do they even have nuclear warheads? I thought the Pentagon said they were still years away from having nukes.

Borat?

What more do you suspect is going on behind the scenes?

Yegshmesh.

The north korean army is huge but has no economic or social conditions to sustain itself on a war longer than 4 months. Japan, US and South Korea together shoud not have big problems on win. Well, i guess so, i would love LW opinions about this.

There might be one very big problem:

I guess if you consider Seoul being shelled to oblivion a win, then yes...

with all the money that the USA is investing on China, i doubt that China will help the north korean army to prolong the war, i think quite the opposite, maybe China will help to defeat North Korea just to solve any instability on the area and keep on growing without surprises.

I hope those Patriots have gotten better since the Gul War

Should the first bunch of F-22s be relocated to SK?

Uh, the Patriot anti-missile system has no effect on artillery....