North Korea said to have fueled missile for test

[Eugene]

North Korea said to have fueled missile for test

By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent
Reuters
Sunday, June 18, 2006; 11:01 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea is believed to have completed fueling a missile
capable of reaching Alaska, raising the probability of an imminent test launch,
U.S. officials said on Sunday.

The United States plans to join Japan in a sharp response if the test goes ahead.

<snip>

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Pyongyang could still decide
to scrap the launch, but that was unlikely given the complexity of siphoning fuel back
out of a missile prepared for launch.

The test is expected to involve a Taepodong-2 missile with an estimated range of 2,175
to 2,670 miles. At that range, parts of Alaska in the United States would be within
reach as well as Asia and Russia.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/18/AR2006061801068.html

Related: US warns North Korea against missile "provocation"

[Selatius]

1. If we followed the Bush doctrine, Kim would be bombing California now

We'd send in the troops. They'd probably set off one of their nukes right in front of our troops killing them in an act of desperation, and Kim would probably order chemical or biological agents be planted on top of those ICBMs before ordering them to fly across the Pacific to hit the US west coast.

[Mz Pip]

2. Couldn't we just

all play soccer or something?

We are at a point where we can back off, chill out and somehow learn to get along or we can march toward mutual annihilation. Seems we are verging on the latter. :scared:

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Wise Doubter]

3. Did some one say re-deployment ?

[daleo]

4. Can CNN show an endless loop of Korean technicians fueling a rocket now?

Or will we still be stuck with those ominous looking guys in a control room that we see during the intermittent nuclear scares?

[jeff30997]

5. The US wont attack.

North Korea is not a defenseless third world country.

[gauguin57]

6. Um ... help?

I mean, isn't this pretty damned scary? I know I'M scared (I've been scared for a long time (pretty much since Jan. 2001), about a lot of things, but now I'm even more scared). What's next?

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be duct-taping my plastic sheeting across my windows and stacking cans of tuna under my bed.

[backwoodsmurder]

7. I find it strange

That there aren't more people talking about this.

[krispos42]

8. How North Korea would attack us so we can't nuke back

North Korea could take out the Western world without incurring nuclear wrath on itself simply by striking Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. And let's not forget Malasia, Thailand, and Singapore. Destroy the major banking, finance, engineering, manufacturing, trading, and tranportation hubs that make all those nifty gadgets we Westerners don't like to make ourselves anymore, and the world economy collapses. North Korea, who's major export seems to be counterfeit greenbacks, would probably not even really notice such an event.

And because the North Koreans didn't attack us with nuclear weapons, we couldn't legitimately strike the North with nukes.

And if China or the US get militarily frisky, well, Hong Kong, Guam, and Beijing are also inviting targets for multi-kiloton nuclear weapons.

THANK GOD we invaded the terribly threatening, nuclear-tipped-ICBM-wielding nation of Iraq!

[Mojorabbit]

9. This line is chilling

American and Japanese "assets" -- including satellites and a U.S. guided missile ship -- have been moved into position to serve as long-range surveillance and tracking platforms.

[AnOhioan]

10. North Korea reportedly has fueled missile

North Korea referred to its missile program for the first time Monday amid reports it has apparently completed fueling for a test launch of a weapon that could reach the United States.

The Japanese newspaper Mainichi reported Monday that the North has apparently completed fueling a long-range missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2. That gives the North a launch window of about a month, the national newspaper said, citing unidentified officials in Washington familiar with U.S. and North Korean matters.

The United States, Japan, Australia and News Zealand all cautioned the impoverished country that a test of a Taepodong-2 missile would bring serious consequences and further isolate the regime. The White House has warned of an appropriate response and Japan has threatened a "fierce" protest to the United Nations.

The chances of a launch Monday were unclear, in part because of the weather at the missile site. There were cloudy skies and chances of showers in the area, with fog along the coast, said Kim Duck-wan, an official at the South's Korea Meteorological Administration.

More at http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-18-nkorea-missile_x.htm?csp=34

[Jed Dilligan]

11. Um

What makes them so sure this is really a test launch?

[halobeam]

12. Yeah.. I never really understood that. I would guess they

wouldn't alert us if they really were attacking, giving us less time to react (so to speak). But, I am unclear as to why we should trust them at all...??? Pretty cool tactic, tell us and then for at least part of the time, we stand there watching. Wouldn't we look like a bunch of asses, that would be until we were a bunch of ashes.

[struggle4progress]

15. Or maybe our own President Bonzo plans to nuke San Francisco and ...

... blame it on North Korea?

I'm having trouble imagining what you could possibly think the North Koreans might imagine they would gain by a missile attack on the US ...:shrug:

[rayofreason]

17. Once fueled...

...liquid fueled missiles are really hard to siphon clean. This bird will almost certainly fly.

[struggle4progress]

13. "... U.S. officials said ... American officials told Reuters ... The

officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ... U.S. officials have watched with alarm ... The New York Times, quoting American officials ... The South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo quoted a Seoul government official ... Experts say ..."

[Rex]

14. This is so stupid, if NK fires the missile over anyones territory it can

be considered an act of war. So either they will fire it into empty ocean or they will launch it over Japan and cause another regional conflict. Two options, the third being turn the dam thing off and stop the launch.

My money is on the ocean.

[rayofreason]

16. The DPRK...

already fired a missile over Japan.

http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/dprk/index.html

Japan this time has said that if a missile should hit Japan, even by accident, it will be seen as an attack.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/18/news/missile.php

I guess Kim Il Sing got jealous of the attention showered on Iran.

As Bugs Bunny would say "What an ultramaroon!"

[outofbounds]

18. I have to agree with

Jed and Halo, why would they tell us if it was a live nuke. Kim has been ranting for a while now. I know I'm not interested in watching a bunch of snow and ice in Alaska become radioactive. I know we have the capability to shoot it down. I just wish we could at 100 feet over that launch pad.

[Thor_MN]

19. BFD. They don't have a nuke light enough to put on it.

They could maybe, possibly hit parts of Alaska with a light payload. CONUS is out of range, which is conveniently left out of the terra, terra, terra alerts. (my apologies to the people who are in range, but you probably have more chance of getting into a car wreck)

What are we going to do to retaliate if they do launch it into the ocean? Fly one of our missiles over NK and then splash it into the ocean?

Where do we get off thinking that we can test missiles, refine weapons grade radioactives, build new nukes and no one else can do the same things?

[HuffleClaw]

20. "parts of alaska"

oooooooooooh.

what a completely load of manufactured fear-mongering propaganda. a disgrace.

[onecent]

21. North Korea scares me MORE than Bush scares me! n/t

[Thor_MN]

22. No offense meant, but Bush is much more dangerous to you than NK...

North Korea has virtually no chance of affecting your life in Missouri. Bush has the capability (and seemingly the desire) to screw over every one that is not part of the top 1%