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Korea
North Korea test-fires second missile
2003-03-11
North Korea test-fired a cruise missile into the sea off its east coast today, the second in two weeks, South Korea's Defence Ministry said.
I'm wondering if these missiles have a "best if used by ..." date on them.
North Korea also said its interception of a US reconnaissance plane a week ago was an act of self-defense, and warned that South Korean support for the United States could lead to a confrontation.
This is alt-F6 on Rodong Sinmun's word processor.
There had been indications that North Korea was planning to fire a missile. The Pentagon had reported a North Korean warning to ships to stay out of a sector of the Sea of Japan from Saturday to Tuesday. Major Kim Ki-Beom, a spokesman at the Defence Ministry, said the missile was believed to be an anti-ship missile similar to one that North Korea test-fired on 24 February. That launch came on the eve of the inauguration of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang's refusal to abandon efforts to develop nuclear weapons. In Tokyo, the chief of Japan's Defense Agency, Shigeru Ishiba, said: "We don't think this will have any significant impact on our national safety, but we are monitoring it closely." Meanwhile, South Korea was trying to determine whether the new test was successful. It had said the earlier one was a failure since it appeared to have exploded in mid-air.
That one apparently was past its "used best by" date.
Or somebody used it for antimissile target practice...
US officials had sought to minimize the significance of the earlier missile test, saying it involved a small weapon and not one of North Korea's stockpile of long-range ballistic missiles. US and South Korean officials are more concerned about a possible North Korean test of a Taepodong-2 missile, which analysts believe is capable of reaching parts of the United States, though there are widespread doubts about its reach and accuracy. In 1998, North Korea test-fired a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan and into the Pacific.
Testing a Taepodong-2 would give our guys plenty of opportunities to track one — the more we learn now, the better.
Posted by:Steve White

#3  Maybe why the first one blew up in flight?
Posted by: Chuck   2003-03-11 10:10:15  

#2  Good idea, raptor! Might as well get two tests in for the price of one!
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg   2003-03-11 08:12:36  

#1  Wonder what N.Kor would think if Japan parked a couple of thier Ageis ships in the area and shot down one of those Taepodongs.
Posted by: raptor   2003-03-11 07:22:58  

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