Angry N. Korea Test Launches Missiles

South Says Tests Part Of "Routine" Training, But Follows Hardening Of Stance From Seoul

(AP)  North Korea test-fired a barrage of short-range missiles Friday, the communist nation's latest apparent angry response to the new South Korean government's tougher stance on Pyongyang.

The launches came as the North issued a stern rebuke to Washington over an impasse at nuclear disarmament talks, warning that the Americans' attitude could "gravely" affect the continuing disablement of Pyongyang's atomic facilities.

The missile tests were part of routine training, South Korean presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said, declining to give further details on the type of rockets fired. He told reporters Seoul was "closely monitoring the situation."

"I believe North Korea would also not want a strain in inter-Korean relations," Lee said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that North Korea launched three ship-to-ship missiles at around 10:30 a.m. (9:30 p.m. EST Thursday), citing unidentified government officials.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it would not be commenting on the launches, which came a day after Seoul withdrew officials from a joint industrial zone with North Korea at Pyongyang's request.

That move was prompted by the North's anger over South Korean statements that any expansion of the project in the border city of Kaesong would only happen if the North resolved the international standoff over its nuclear weapons.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative who took office last month, had said he would take a harder policy line on the North - a change from a decade of liberal Seoul governments who avoided confrontation to maintain a "sunshine policy" of engagement.

South Korea also voted Thursday in favor of a resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council that condemned human rights abuses in North Korea. The North rejects such allegations and argues they are part of U.S.-led efforts to overthrow the regime.

The North showed signs earlier this week it was preparing to test short-range missiles as part of routine training, Yonhap reported. The country declared a no-sailing zone off the coastal city of Nampo and placed a military boat equipped with anti-ship missiles on standby, according to the news agency.

The North regularly test fires missiles, and its long-range models are believed able to possibly reach as far as the western coast of the United States. The country conducted its first-and-only nuclear bomb test in October 2006, but it is not known to have a weapon design able to fit inside a missile warhead.

North Korea shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor and has taken steps to disable its main atomic facilities under a landmark disarmament-for-aid deal reached last year with the United States and other regional powers.

However, negotiations on further disarmament have hit an impasse over the North's pledge to give a full declaration of its nuclear programs.

North Korea has claimed it gave the U.S. a nuclear list in November, but Washington said the North never produced a "complete and correct" declaration that would address all its past atomic activity.

On Friday, the North blamed Washington for the deadlocked talks and warned it would slow ongoing disablement of its atomic facilities.

The North's Foreign Ministry said the country has done its best to clear U.S. suspicions that it pursued a uranium-based atomic bomb program and also transferred nuclear technology to Syria, but Washington has been sticking to its "wrong" claims.

Pyongyang has "never dreamed" of doing either, the ministry said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, and "such things will not happen in the future too."

"The U.S. side is playing a poor trick to brand (the North) as a criminal at any cost in order to save its face," the North said. "Should the U.S. delay the settlement of the nuclear issue, persistently trying to cook up fictions, it will seriously affect the disabling of nuclear facilities."

South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier this week in Washington that "time and patience is running out" at the nuclear talks.

[beehive21-2009]

Do not believe what you read ,this is mo BS.It''s what happens when the media is controlled by Chevron Texaco,not to mention the President.

[fredgrad2000]

"It is very easy to makeup new conditions or demands to stop any progress. This is Bush Doctrine."

What new conditions or demands? What is new here that wasn''t required in the official declaration from the six-party talks? Please back up your BS with facts; let me know what is being requested now that wasn''t in the original bargain. Amazing how you Bush-hating lefties are more likely to believe the goodwill of Kim Jong Il than our own President. Insane, just insane.

[fredgrad2000]

"So you''''re content with just ignoring the fact that the current administration helped CREATE the problem" - Posted by rukindr

WOW!! Get your news from somewhere other than Media Matters or other left-wing outlets please. The Bush administration did not CREATE this, Clinton did!! Bush didn''t make DPRK violate the Agreed Framework with a secret uranium program; he just called them on it, and said it was unacceptable! You left-wing loons would have done what, just ignored it? Or "negotiated" again? For what? What would you have said? You caught us with a loophole in the Agreed Framework, how about we double our aid to you so you''ll abandon uranium enrichment too? The insane leadership of North Korea is not trustworthy, period. We can only negotiate from strength with them, so there are definable "Sticks"; and that requires South Korea and China; we cannot, short of war, offer any "sticks" big enough to change their behavior; Bush and his team have followed the right policy, the best one available with a rogue regime; negotiate from position of strength and with those parties that actually have leverage. Just talking and bribing a dictator does nothing; right Slick Willy?

[rchanning12]

"Angry" North Korea? I am sure that they spread the same propaganda to their own people about us, the "Angry" or "Power Hungry" United States. They were angry so they launched test missiles. We were angry so we launched an illegitimate war in Iraq. Bear in mind that most citizens are not responsible for the actions of their governments. Whether you are American or North Korean, we must live with the actions of our governments. More than 50% of Americans don''t agree with the war in Iraq. I am pretty sure that most N. Koreans don''t agree with the lunatic antics of their leadership, but they don''t have a choice. As for the media, this article is reminder that our media spreads as much propaganda as they do.

[dobbershome]

N.Korea must be wanting some food to feed there people with. Everytime they threaten to do anything or do anything we give them some goodies and the problem goes a way for awhile. Well I guess it beats out and all out war.(thank God there is no oil in N.K )

[rukindr]

It always comes down to complaining about the other party in these cases, usually be people who couldn''t even tell you what the real difference between democrats and republicans without using words like "liberal" or "conservative". It''s amazing how a huge country of individuals seem to want to classify themselves only in one of two categories, amazing and pathetic really. When did democracy mean the lesser of two evils and that''s it? Honestly I believe everyone in here is correct in some way, both parties are basically s**t and finding another legitimate party if freaking impossible. I don''t see this kind of stuff getting much better whether it''s Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or whichever country we manage to get pssed at next.

[rukindr]

Just wait for the libs to get in the White House. They''''ll arrange South Korea''''s surrender, and this problem will go away.

Posted by IKnowBest

So you''re content with just ignoring the fact that the current administration helped CREATE the problem

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
In order to keep the ''War on Terrorism'' alive and help Republicans in the upcoming Nov-2008 general election, Bush must keep up the confrontation with all the ''Axis of Evils'' nations. This is also known as the ''October Surprise'' everyone is expecting from Bush. It is very easy to makeup new conditions or demands to stop any progress. This is Bush Doctrine.

[iknowbest-2009]

Just wait for the libs to get in the White House. They''ll arrange South Korea''s surrender, and this problem will go away.

[downsteamjim]

We need to send Jimmy Carter to North Korea. He would have to stay there until the North Koreans quit their nukes. Even if they don''t quit their nukes, at least, his whinyness Jimmy would give us a well deserved rest.

[trenticus-2009]

Hey, didn''t the U.S. just ship oil to them in return that they halt there nuclear program? They held their finger on the button and the world hostage.

[runningralph]

Communism starts off with the ideal of helping workers, but inevitably ends up with a brutal dictator and non-productive workers. North Korea should get over Communism like China did. Join up with South Korea and become a member of the world comminity instead of a pariah.