N. Korea Threatens To Hit U.S. If Provoked

(CBS/AP)  North Korea boasted of being a "proud nuclear power" and threatened Monday to harm the U.S. if attacked as tensions mounted over a possible crackdown on exports of suspected missile parts from the North.

President Obama, meanwhile, has told CBS News the U.S. is ready to cope with "any contingencies" involving North Korea and vowed not to "reward belligerence and provocation."

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Tune in to The Early Show Monday morning at 7 a.m. EDT on CBS to see Harry Smith discuss the North Korea standoff with President Obama. To watch Part 1 of the interview, aired on Sunday, in which Mr. Obama discusses fatherhood, click here.

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South Korea's YTN news network reported Sunday that a U.S. Navy destroyer tailing a North Korean ship suspected of carrying missiles and related parts was headed toward Myanmar in what could be the first test of new U.N. sanctions against the North over its recent nuclear test.

The sanctions - punishment for an underground nuclear test North Korea conducted May 25 - firm up an earlier arms embargo against North Korea and authorize ship searches in an attempt to thwart the regime's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.

On Monday, North Korea's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper called it "nonsense" to say the country is a threat to the U.S., and instead claimed Washington was the one threatening the North. The paper also warned in a commentary that the country is prepared to strike back if attacked.

"As long as our country has become a proud nuclear power, the U.S. should take a correct look at whom it is dealing with," the editorial said. "It would be a grave mistake for the U.S. to think it can remain unhurt if it ignites the fuse of war on the Korean peninsula."

The Rodong Sinmun also denounced Mr. Obama's recent pledge to defend and protect South Korea - even promising to keep Seoul "under the U.S. nuclear umbrella" - as an attempt to attack the North with atomic bombs. Mr. Obama made the commitment in a joint statement after a summit last week with South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak.

North Korea calls its nuclear program a deterrent against the U.S., which Pyongyang routinely accuses of plotting to topple the communist regime. The U.S., which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has said it has no such intentions, and has no nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula.

Mr. Obama said the U.S. is prepared for any North Korean provocation, including the regime's reported threat to test-launch a long-range missile toward Hawaii.

Japanese media have reported that the North Koreans appear to be preparing for a long-range test planned sometime around July 4, the Independence Day holiday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered additional protections for Hawaii as a precaution.

"This administration - and our military - is fully prepared for any contingencies," Mr. Obama told CBS Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

"I don't want to speculate on hypotheticals," Mr. Obama told Smith. "But I want... to give assurances to the American people that the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted in terms of what might happen."

A North Korean cargo ship, the Kang Nam, is expected to travel to Myanmar via Singapore, YTN said, citing an unidentified intelligence source in South Korea.

Myanmar's military government, which faces an arms embargo from the United States and the European Union, reportedly has bought weapons from the North in the past.

Two U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking the ship, which left a North Korean port on Wednesday.

One official said it was uncertain what the Kang Nam was carrying but that it had been involved in weapons proliferation before. Both spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence.

A senior U.S. military official told The Associated Press on Friday that a Navy ship, the USS John S. McCain, is relatively close to the North Korean vessel but had no orders to intercept it under the Security Council resolution and had not requested that authority. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The U.S. ship, a guided missile destroyer, is named after the grandfather and father of former U.S. presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. Both were admirals.

McCain said Sunday that the U.S. should board the Kang Nam even without North Korean permission if hard evidence shows it is carrying missiles or other cargo in violation of U.N. resolutions.

"I think we should board it. It's going to contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to rogue nations that pose a direct threat to the United States," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

[Robert4229]

I like Clinton's idea of a nuclear umbrella of protection for the middle east. I've always thought we should create an "umbrella" of protection. But, how about going a stop further? How about a global SDI system? After all, won't we have one in the Czech Republic soon? As North Korea sells ICBM and nuclear technology to rogue nations and threatens to use her ICBM's; as Iran continues to develop ICBM capabilities; and as the world frets over the Taliban taking over in Afghanistan, DECLASSIFIED SECRETS believes a Global Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program should be developed fully. North Korea has threatened use of her missile warheads offensively if the world places sanctions upon her and President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan voices concern on the danger of his country's nuclear weapons falling into Taliban hands. At the same time, he states that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe and in good hands.


Some in India say this is just a "ruse to garner as much funds as possible from the US and the West to spirit away to his accounts." True, we gave billions of military aid to Pakistan to better arm the Frontier Corps army so they could drive the Taliban and al Queda out of their provinces. As we know, it was never spent for the purpose it was intended. Instead, U.S. military funding to Pakistan was spent on offensive weapon systems aimed at our friend, India. A Pentagon document disclosed that aid given by the U.S. has been used to build up and strengthen Pakistan's armed forces armory against India. As one man from India stated, "Pakistan is so obsessive with India."


So, why not develop a fail-proof, anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system...soon? The current ABM system that protects America's shores will be simply intensified qualitatively with the new failure-proof technologies and quantitatively. However, overseas, the U.S. could install fail-proof 2nd and 1st layer ABM systems in the "weaker," less-developed countries to negate their well-intentioned desires to acquire nuclear technolgies and rocket propulsion systems to protect themselves, through mutually-assured destruction capabilities, from threat-mongering neighbors.


Here are four reasons why we should:
(1) Diplomatic upside: We could install this fail safe SDI program to our nervous friends around the world...which would include on-station American specialists and advisors. Such a system would be installed as a missile defense program tailored-made for each countries individual needs and threat status. By installing a U.S. failure-proof ABM system in each of them, Iran's hegenomy goals would be negated. Countries yearning for security by developing or importing (from N. Korea?) missile technologies alongside nuclear capabilities would realize they didn't have to pursue these options.

(2) Economic feasibility and Self-sustainment. The system would be free from unstable U.S. federal funding and political whims. We could lease or 'rent out" such a system to our nervous allies. The copious amounts of monies taken in would pay for not only the cost of operation, but for massive and continual R&D to improve the SDI system. It would be an enduring and self-sustaining system, funded from foreign clients.

(3) Nation-Empowerment. No longer would ?weaker? nations acquiesce to the desires of rogue neighbors. As the heavyweight prizefighter Jack Dempsey once said, ?The best offense is a good defense.? Such a system, certainly, would be a peaceful, defensive venture, but would carry a deadly message to rogue regimes who see their power, dominance and threat-mongering capabilities grow useless. Many "weaker" nations would be more inclined to join the world community's push for peaceful existence rather than stay neutral and crouch before a derelict neighbor. (Photo above)- Test launch of Pakistan's Hatf-3 {Ghaznai} SRBM in October, 2003. It's capable of delivering 20 kiloton nuclear warhead.

(4) Create Agenda for Global Peace Agenda. Participating countries would meet regularly to discuss connectivity, since each SDI system could communicate with another. The worldwide SDI system would be installed and managed by the U.S., so administrative and daily managerial difficulties could be worked out. There would also be a treaty binding participating nations together: they must protect each other with this system. For example, if a rogue nation launched a missile attack against another, and their missile passed over several participating countries, each would attempt to destroy it, even though it wasn?t targeted at them. On the same note, participating countries that do not possess long-range missiles or nuclear technology, will have have the ABM installations removed if they pursue these ventures.


Hopefully, a fully-funded, full-proof ABM system will be perfected by the U.S.


Robert Morton
Declassified Secrets
www.declassifiedsecrets.blogspot.com/

[cbsantispin]

North Korea = Gutter Nation, the Worlds toilet.

[j4cubguy]

yo kimmy, i can hit you from my back yard.......feeling froggy? ( sorry FR) .....jump, and we will finish it .....

[USASTILLONTOP]

Obama is a laughing stock. He's making it easier for them to try another attack.

[reality42]

weapons of mass destruction
The USA has weapons of mass destruction and they are like a spoiled kid that wants to be the only one to have them.
I feel you need some counter force to the action of the USa so what is so bad with Iran and North Korean having the same as the USA??
Maybe USA should start a program to eliminate all Nuks including there own. Make the world a better place instead of USA alway doing the Big scary Fear mogoring that they like to do to people.

[CLoverNYC1]

by stickdog3 June 23, 2009 1:34 PM PDT
------------------

Stickdog,

The attacks on GWB are sooooo old. You have nothing to contribute to my post that is obvious.

Last time I checked Barack "one term" Obama was Teleprompter-in-Chief.

President Obama stepped up US military presence in Afghanistan, and that is my point which you missed because you're too focused on the past.

[stickdog3]

Whats happening with this name calling, the attacks on GWB will never be old, he's the one that put us in this position in the first place. Obviously your point wasn't well thought out. As far as calling our President Teleprompter -in-Chief please, spare me. This man is by far very intelligent and is very much in tune with the every day average American and World events. Your boy GWB could never lay claim to that. Obama is tepping up our presence in Afghanistan in and attempt to end it. I do believe he's going to be the one to find bin-Laden as well. Regardless of whatever, always back your President son, a sitting President at least, always back them, never let the enemy see fractures in your own house, always stand tall with your current leaders regardless of whatever, otherwise, go join 'em.

[CLoverNYC1]

Think long term for a moment. This is a chess game.

North Korea doesn't want nukes to hurl them at us. That's just asian bravado to save face and Kim's way of stoking his people.

He has to give them a good reason for his stockpiling nuclear weapons while they die of starvation and malnutrition. They're already afraid, so he tells them he has to protect them from the
big bad USA.

Kim Jung Il knows a direct attack on the US would be suicide.

He's in the arms business with the ultimate goal of selling his nukes to mideast countries itching to destroy Israel.

Obama knows this. That's why he's trying to off-ramp Israel now so we don't have to go in and play brother defender, cause he's already gotten us into another endless war in Afghanistan.

Wake up.

[stickdog3]

CloverNYC1 did you say Obama got us in this war in Afghanistan? Where have you been the last 8 years? I'll give you a clue who really did it though with their initials GWB. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[stickdog3]

Obama is right not to engage in this saber rattling. North Korea going up against us is like a mosquito going up against an elephant. They don't stand a chance.

[CLoverNYC1]

Kim Jung Il is an attention hoe. The best way to deal with Kim is to starve him out. Ignore him, plain and simple.

Kim's been talking yak for years, and he hasn't done a thing except extort money out of any nation who would give him the time of day.

He's a sick loser who wants to rule the world.

[culturechang]

How many years has NK and the US been exchanging threats. We should just ignore them because we aren't (and can't) really do anything anyway.....until they step over the line. And when they do step over, we should floor them on the first strike.