Report: N. Korea Moves Missile Equipment To Site

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

SEOUL (AP) — North Korea has been moving missile equipment to a launch pad in a further indication the country is taking steps toward test firing a long-range missile, a news report indicated Wednesday.

The latest report comes amid heightened tension between the Koreas. Pyongyang announced late last month it would scrap all peace accords with Seoul and has periodically warned of war on the divided peninsula.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to visit South Korea next week as part of an Asian trip and North Korea's recent saber-rattling is seen at least partially as an attempt to grab the attention of President Obama's new administration.

But on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates played down reports of possible North Korean missile launch preparation, noting the country's last such test was a failure.

Yonhap news agency said a vehicle carrying the equipment was seen moving to the Musudan-ni site, located on the eastern coast, from a munitions factory near Pyongyang, after the suspected missile was reportedly transferred there.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-02-11-nkorea-missile_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

[Hugabear]

1. Yawn

They do this sort of thing on a routine basis. Scare everybody, make them think they're going to start a war, test a missile, and then see what happens.

With a new administration in charge, it's hardly surprising they would do this. Bush really fucked things up with North Korea, things had been going pretty well until * had to make his "axis of evil" speech. Now that adults are back in charge, I'm sure things will get back to normalcy.

[Purveyor]

2. Link to Yonhap news article referenced in the article:

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2009/02/11/74/0301000000AEN20090211009800315F.HTML

[boomerbust]

3. More hardware

That will end up in the Sea of Japan.

[dgibby]

4. I wonder if Sarah Palin can see North Korea from her porch,

'cause I heard on the news yesterday that their long range missles had the potential to hit Alaska!

[Winterblues]

5. Robert Gates seems to be in denial here

It only stands to reason if their last test failed they will try again. To say that they won't because their last one failed is pretty naive IMO

[WePurrsevere]

6. Kick

[Coventina]

7. North Korea assembling longest-range missile-paper

Source: Reuters

SEOUL, Feb 13 (Reuters) - North Korea has been assembling its longest-range missile at an east coast launch base and could test-fire the rocket by the end of this month at the earliest, a leading South Korean daily reported on Friday.

South Korean and U.S. officials have warned prickly North Korea not to launch its Taepodong-2 missile, which is supposed to eventually be able to hit Alaska but has never successfully flown. It blew apart seconds after it was last tested in 2006.

North Korea recently transported the first and second stage of the Taepodong-2 to its missile base on a special train and has been assembling the pieces at an indoor facility to prevent spy satellites from watching, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported intelligence sources as saying.

(snip)

The missile, thought to be about 36 metres (118 ft) tall, needs to be positioned vertically, sent to a launch pad and fuelled. These operations can be viewed by U.S. spy satellites, which can give the outside world a warning several days in advance that a launch is imminent, it said.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKSEO13787

[YOY]

8. Adorable...not like they have to feed any of their people but prefer this crap instead.

n.t.

[Soylent Brice]

9. a missle called dong.

i had to point out the irony.

seriously though, is a rocket really more important than hunger? really?

[Crowman1979]

10. Kim Jong-Il is making up for his inadequate manhood.

:rofl:

[Soylent Brice]

11. every time i see his name or hear it

i think of the mad tv skit they do of him.

all i picture is him rapping.

[Akoto]

12. I often wonder ...

What happens to North Korea after Dear Leader passes away? It'll eventually happen. We all get old and, if I'm not mistaken, he's already in bad health.