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North Korea Independence Day missile launches described as provocative

Louisville News.Net
Saturday 4th July, 2009

South Korea's Defense Ministry says North Korea launched seven missiles off its eastern coast Saturday.

The missiles were fired over the entire day Saturday, commencing early in the morning, continuing throuighout the afternoon and the early evening.

The test launches coincided with the United States' Independence Day holiday, drawing comparisons to North Korea's test of a long-range missile on the July 4 holiday three years ago. The North's May nuclear test fell on the U.S. Memorial Day holiday.

In South Korea the Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling the launches a "provocative act" and expressing "deep regret over North Korea's continued acts to escalate tensions in Northeast Asia." South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff released a statement saying the military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations.

Japan's Foreign Ministry has condemned the latest missile launches as a serious act of provocation against the security of neighboring countries.

On Thursday, North Korea fired several short range missiles. The United States and North Korea's neighbors described the launches as provocative, and called on the communist country to return to negotiations on de-nuclearization.

The missile tests add to the tensions on the Korean peninsula over North Korea's May 25 nuclear test and an April ballistic missile launch.

Japan defense officials last month said Pyongyang was preparing to launch a long-range missile capable of reaching the U.S. state of Hawaii around the U.S. Independence Day holiday.

Separately, a South Korean news report Saturday said the North Korean cargo ship that changed course after being tracked by U.S. vessels appears to be carrying conventional small weapons, including Soviet-era rifles and missile launchers.

The report by Yonhap news agency quoted an official who asked not to be named because the information had to do with intelligence. The Kang Nam 1 was believed to be on its way to Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The United Nations Security Council imposed a harsh new set of financial sanctions against North Korea last month in response to the nuclear and missile tests. The sanctions allow members to request a search of suspicious cargo to prevent Pyongyang from obtaining material needed for its nuclear and weapons programs.

 

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Comments on this story

Anonymous
07-04-09, 05:06 AM

North Korea Independence Day missile launches described as provocative

Kinda like spoiling for fight. Childish.

Eric Blair
07-04-09, 09:31 AM

Idea

They always do a missile test on the 4th to commemorate the first dictators death.

King Kong
07-04-09, 12:46 PM

Missile Proliferation

As North Korea has said, 99.99% of the missile and nuclear test has been conducted by Russia, USA, China, Britain and France. These are the countries that don’t want an enemy to possess what they have and they control the IAEA and other agencies. Now if US threatens you with a nuclear bomb or has a history of dropping one to kill 100,000 human beings, who would you fear of using one?

Anonymous
07-04-09, 12:56 PM

Are they firing at anybody? No.
They are just testing their wares. Why provocative if they are not firing at you?? Make friends not enemies. Then you can sleep well. Very often we listen to others telling us how bad our neighbour is and judge them unkindly. Have we extended our hands and get to know them? They may be recruse and we have make them our enemies. This is how trouble starts. We think others are abnormal and gang up against them until they have no choice but feel cornered. This is how some Westerners looks at the Orientals.
They cannot accept these people can be as good or better than them. I would not blame North Korea if they sells their wares to the Muslim extremists. Infact they have. Sorry you multipled your own pain.

secret slave
07-04-09, 02:10 PM

Pyongyang forgot to write his Immunity letter !

salaam,
As democracy requires immunity letters when stepping outside Wisdom before work begins,, not afterwards.
feeamanellaah

secret slave
07-04-09, 02:11 PM

How much does a Immunity letter cost in production ?

salaam = peace

secret slave
07-04-09, 02:11 PM

Enquiry to the lawyers and judges whom write immunity letters!

salaam = peace

secret slave
07-04-09, 05:33 PM

Worse than driving auto with no insurance policy

salaam,
Then from the damages done,
claims not blameworthy,
same excuse that the poor man with no auto insurance policy sentenced to a cage for lack of insurance coverages?
So when it claims to work for Wisdom,
was that with insurance policy or without?
For the contract would be known in TRUTH to sight and soundability!
feeamanellaah

secret slave
07-04-09, 05:35 PM

Hmmmm says it knows cleverness ?

salaam = peace

Anonymous
07-04-09, 07:19 PM

Putting horses before the cart

I have travel across asia and found the people friendly and peacefull. I just cannot imagine these land and their people were invaded for the last hundreds years by Portugese, Spanish, France, German, Dutch, England, and later American, killing these people who had no defence against better equip westerners. When is this going to stop? At the mercy of the invaders or prepared themselves and hit the hell out of the intruders?

Anonymous
07-04-09, 07:34 PM

You fools

i say to america use your first strike policy...NOW,,,who’s threath,n who here....I love how you fools put american down yet all they do is put dictators down and give the country back to its peolpe,,and donate money to most countries,,,I DONT SEE ALL THE WINGING EASTERN/ASIAN COUNTRIES DONATING TO THE WEST..PUT UP OR P&#S OFF!!!!!

meal
07-04-09, 08:00 PM

born again

from big blue marble tu big doom marble.....north korea have a few nuclear...US hundreds, ...NO NEED TO MENTION THE PAST, THE PRESENT, the stage is set, the actors are ready, directors are here,..only waiting for the camera man!! 648710476289321120930023556187598833002009542112230008865337781330985432990056449475422367899453211196083552600238813324598925431255975325445789100654324045714433676878976155437778698354440877656544422809322212

muters
07-04-09, 09:02 PM

peace

I cant understand why we have to have nuclear bombs anyway, what does it prove?
Its should be a beautiful world..


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