N. Korea Fires 7 Missiles on July 4

S. Korea Gives Word; Analysts Say Launches Seem Timed to Thumb Nose at U.S.

(AP)  North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, a violation of U.N. resolutions and an apparent message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day.

The launches, which came two days after North Korea fired four short-range cruise missiles, will likely further escalate tensions in the region as the U.S. tries to muster support for tough enforcement of the latest U.N. Security Council resolution imposed on the communist regime for its May nuclear test.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said three missiles were fired early Saturday, a fourth around noon and three more in the afternoon. The Defense Ministry said that the missiles were ballistic and are believed to have flown more than 250 miles.

"Our military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations based on strong South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted military officials as saying the missiles appeared to be a type of Scud missile. North Korea's Scuds are considered short-range, the South's military said.

But Yonhap also said that it is possible they could have been longer-range Rodong missiles fired a shorter distance.

Scud missiles have a range of up to 300 miles, which could hit most of South Korea. The Rodong has a range of up to 800 miles, putting most parts of Japan within striking distance.

North Korea is not allowed to fire Scuds, medium-range missiles or long-range missiles. They are banned under U.N. resolutions, including Resolution 1874 passed after North Korea's May 25 nuclear test, that prohibit any launch using ballistic missile technology.

Thursday's launches, on the other hand, did not violate the resolution as they were cruise missiles rather than ballistic, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.

Ballistic missiles are guided during their ascent out of the atmosphere but fall freely when they descend. Cruise missiles fly low and straight to their target.

The North has a record of timing missile tests for the U.S. national day, which fell on Saturday.

"The missiles were seen as part of military exercises, but North Korea also appeared to have sent a message to the U.S. through the missile launches," a senior official in South Korea's presidential office said, without elaborating.

The official told The Associated Press that North Korea could fire more missiles in coming days, but said there was little possibility it could fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, as it threatened in April.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

Daniel Pinkston, a Seoul-based analyst for the International Crisis Group think tank, said both political and military reasons were behind the launches.

"I think it's a demonstration of their defiance and rejection of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, for one thing, and to demonstrate their military power capabilities to any potential adversaries," Pinkston said.

He also pointed out that July 4 is not only U.S. Independence Day but also the anniversary of a 1972 joint communique in which the two Koreas agreed to work toward peacefully reunifying their divided peninsula.

During the U.S. Independence Day holiday in 2006, Pyongyang fired a barrage of missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 that broke apart and fell into the ocean less than a minute after liftoff. Those launches, which occurred on July 5 in North Korea, also came amid tensions with the U.S. over North Korea's nuclear program.

North Korea's state news agency carried no reports on the launches. But the North had warned ships to stay away from its east coast through July 10 for military exercises - an indication it was planning launches.

The chief of U.S. Naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, said Saturday the American military was ready for any North Korean missile tests.

"Our ships and forces here are prepared for the tracking of the missiles and observing the activities that are going on," Roughead said after meeting Japanese military officials in Tokyo before news of the launches.

South Korea and Japan, which are within easy range of North Korean missiles, condemned the launches as a "provocative" act that violates the U.N. resolution.

South Korea "expressed deep regret over the North's continuous behavior that escalates tensions in Northeast Asia by repeatedly defying" the resolution, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said in a statement that the launch of missiles "is a serious act of provocation against the security of neighboring countries, including Japan, and is against the resolution of the U.N Security Council."

In Beijing, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said he had no immediate comment. China is the North's closest ally.

[trapbreaking]

As expected, Obama is silent. Did you expect anything else?

.

[maghop]

hummmm! no! what should he say? saying nothing can pack a bigger punch, don't you think?

[souljam76]

America needs to go to war with North Korea. That is all their is to it. if I was president, All american troops & planes & tanks including the American troops in Iraq & Afghanistan would all be fighting North Korea for complete Victory

[maghop]

good thing you aren't president! why you ask? first of all your grammar is horrible. it's there not their, and it's if i were president. so by your intellect i'm confident you'd never be president. hey! thanks for coming out though!!

[Danny__1]

Why is N Korea leader Kim such a iddiot, Im tired of the crap his talking, time to take action. I'm neither Democrat or Republican, I'm American Veteran, he wants to show force, than show the iddiot our Military might. That country can do itself a favor by ousting that iddiot out of power and putting someone in charge that would want to better their country not destroy it!!!!!!!!!!!

[RCC_Soldaten]

Hooah!

[myopinionpal]

GW Bush could of done something with his so called AXIS OF EVIL but he didn't.

[RCC_Soldaten]

BS - Clinton could have dealt with him also. All Bill did was send him more rice. Read your history.

[myopinionpal]

This is the mess GW Bush left while he was toying around in Iraq. NK has a nuke and Iran will have one too thanks to GW.

[kaylag04]

We got 'em right where we want 'em. This was all planned, and that little fella is playin' right into our hands! You'll see, it really is Change we Can Believe In!

[RCC_Soldaten]

'N. Korea Fires 7 Missiles on July 4'

'on my mark - turn key
5
4
3
2
1
Launch'

USA fires One missle on July 5th.

End of subject.

[Thalia-9]

by azure13 July 4, 2009 7:22 AM PDT
Who cares about North Korea? I say we just ignore them.

we care - we have a dear friend in SK on base.

[jamesguy]

Kim needs to launch himself at Japan. We could call him the tinydong missile.

[bajajohn1]

Thank you little Kim for celebrating our 4th of July with your old firecrackers.

[artorus]

The North is fooling itself if they think they can scare us with their little Korean typodong. They would cower if they saw a big American dong.

[hungry1968-16]

by IThoughtItWasFunny2 July 4, 2009 8:41 AM PDT

Well, NO, what we see is Bush trying to do it the liberal commie way...appeasement....and of course it failed to do a darned thing...just like he knew it would...but he did give it the old liberal college try so you could SEE it failed...but since you're blind and dumb you couldn't see it. What else is new?






SO you're advocating that Bush should have done the "conservative thing" and plunged us into a needless and senseless war?

[dkhorse11]

Technically we're still at war with NK it's just a mind numbingly long ceasefire! I say no more food aid, or any aid of any kind to NK and let nature (starvation) take it's course! Then no more problem, even the military will be too hungry to resist anything, like a South Korean take over.

[TryTakingMyMoney]

Due to his weak position on American principles and foreign policy many countries look at our anointed one as their own. North Korea is ticked off because it has not received it's form of stimulus from our socialist messiah. Liberal zombies here in the US will act the same way when the money runs out and the spreading of the wealth stops. WAKE UP AMERICA!

[woeisme1]

Is that your real name? America? What a cool name!

[hungry1968-16]

So you believe that Obama should follow the Bush policies of giving NK money to quit misbehaving like a spoiled child?!?!




Seriously?!?!

[woeisme1]

hungry1968-16

You can tell by his nic and his post what he wants. A typical Republicant, he does not want to pay for anything. It's as simple as that.

[maghop]

You're an idiot! enough said!

[Lawyers-Guns-n-Money]

...and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air...

Whoda thunk NK would be such avid supporters of our Independence Day?

[mcintoshlou]

Yeah, so what, how many got close to Hawaii?

Happy Fourth of July you republiCON fear mongers.

WHEN DO EXPECT TO HAVE WORLD WAR THREE STARTED, MORONS.

[BluePawn]

Why do we play into Kim Jong Il's stupid games? He threatens, we reply with economic aid promises. Our policy should be; ignore his provocations and respond, if he takes his childish games outside of NK into others' sovereign space. We should provide support to the violated country, only if it's in our national interest and they request it. We have no right to dictate what they do on their territory; just as they have no right to dictate our internal policy. We develop weapons, but others can't? The US has always had this two-faced policy. We want it both ways. We can't play with others, as we did in the 19th and early 20th centuries. We're an economic failure, nuclear weapons are everywhere and we're involved in two wars. We're at the stage the British were, about 1946-1948; our best years are behind us and we need to adjust accordingly.

[bajajohn1]

No way Jose. Some see the glass half-full and other see it half-empty. We shall trudge on, onward through the fog.

[erasmus111]

"North Korea is not allowed to fire Scuds, medium-range missiles or long-range missiles. They are banned under U.N. resolutions..."


Hmmmmm, I'm getting the impression that they don't seem to really care whether they are ALLOWED to or not. What do ya think?

[hungry1968-16]

by ereHsdadhgaB-2010 July 4, 2009 5:11 AM PDT
N. Korea Fires 7 Missiles on July 4
****************************************

That's Kim Jong Il fireworks on 4th July. And Obambam continues doing the same thing: NOTHING.







Which is EXACTLY what he should be doing regarding Iran AND North Korea: Keeping out of it, and minding OUR business instead of theirs.

[mcintoshlou]

IT IS HIGH TIME THAT THE UNITED STATES STOPPED BEING THE WORLDS BULLY,

WE NEED TO MYOB FOR ONCE, THANK YOUR VARIOUS GODS FOR OBAMA.

[azure13]

Who cares about North Korea? I say we just ignore them.

[specialty8]

I am sure Japan and South Korea can handle this. China would just love us to get involved to eat up more of our assets. China could end this right now if they wanted to. They are the norths lifeline.