N. Korea [NK] decided to party hard and celebrate the 4th of July in an extreme way. here is a synopsis: NK test fired at least 6 confirmed missiles over the 4th of July. now one of those was the Taepodong-2, which could reach alaska, but it flopped. so did the others, shorter range SCUDS, which apparently fell into the Sea of Japan. the whole pacific is going nuts over this.


links:
BBC on the first 6
Y! news on 7th
russian says 10
another Y! news on 7th
japan on 7th

full report:
N Korea tests long-range missile
The Taepodong-2 is thought capable of reaching Alaska
North Korea has test-fired at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, despite repeated warnings from the international community. US officials said the Taepodong missile - thought capable of reaching Alaska - failed shortly after take-off, while the others fell into the Sea of Japan. The US called the tests "provocative" and Japan has announced sanctions.

The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the developments. The closed UN session was requested by Japan, which said it was co-ordinating its response to the missile tests with the US and other countries. Japanese and South Korean military are on high alert in the wake of the tests, and share prices have fallen in both countries. Australia said it expected North Korea to make further test firings.


Strong condemnation
Pyongyang remained defiant. A foreign ministry official said such launches were a matter of national sovereignty, Japanese media reported. In the US, White House spokesman Tony Snow said the launches "demonstrate North Korea's intent to intimidate other states" and Washington would take necessary steps to protect itself and its allies. President George W Bush is sending Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill out to the region. Japan - one of North Korea's harshest critics, and in easy reach of a long-range missile - announced bans on the entry of North Korean officials, chartered flights and a ferry.

In South Korea - which has been anxious to promote reconciliation with its unpredictable northern neighbour - the government called an emergency cabinet meeting soon after the tests took place. South Korea has consistently opposed the imposition of sanctions, but in recent days it warned of cutting food aid to the North should the missile tests go ahead. Analysts said the firing - North Korea's first test of a long-range missile since a self-imposed moratorium in 1999 - would also seriously damage prospects for stalled international talks on the North's nuclear programme.


Heightened alert
According to US officials, the North fired at least six missiles over a four-hour period, beginning at 0332 Japan Time (1832 GMT). South Korea has confirmed that five of the missiles were medium-range versions of the old Soviet Scud missile. The sixth was the long-range Taepodong-2, fired from the Musudan-ri missile base. The Taepodong-2 crashed 42 seconds after it was launched, according to US sources.

The US and North Korea's neighbours have been on heightened alert in recent weeks amid suspicions that Pyongyang was preparing to launch the Taepodong-2, which has a range of up to 6,000 km (3,730 miles), putting parts of the US within striking distance. The BBC's Charles Scanlon in Seoul says the North has been feeling under pressure and ignored in recent months, with the US refusing to negotiate on its demands over its nuclear plans.

Long-running talks over North Korea's nuclear capabilities have stalled, with six-party negotiations on the issue being repeatedly postponed as neither Washington nor Pyongyang are prepared to give ground. North Korea may see this action as a way to get attention and break the diplomatic log jam, our correspondent adds. The tests came as the US celebrated its Independence Day holiday and launched the space shuttle from Florida. The last time North Korea tested a long-range missile was in 1998, when it launched a Taepodong-1 over northern Japan.


me, i think Kim has something going on. i mean no one walks around test firing' missiles all willy-nilly without something behind it. somethings going down, and we need Sam Fisher or something to go in and find out >.<
But i know the real reason why kim is acting up. he is mad cause HE HAS A GIRL'S NAME! OH YES, I WENT THERE!! WHATS KIMMIE GONNA DO, HUH?!? SHOOT ME? HA! THE PANSY!!
Sexeh Kitteh said im gonna be a one man Hiroshima for the above comment >.>


*in before anyone flames me, i know kim is a korean name and can be for guys too. but not here in the US, so lemme just take my stabs at him in peace.*
**people, if the links dont lead to where they say, someone tell me. apparently, the news people moved a link once to a different spot. if this happens, let me know and ill PM a MOD to fix it**

I read about this, I was really shocked. That puts EVERYONE in danger, especially South Korea and North Koreans. He's not getting his country anywhere if what's that he thinks he's doing. Why does he need a nuclear program for? No one is going to attack them.

Kim is a family/clan name. His name is Jong-Il.

I heard about this, its umm interesting :/ its kinda stupid of him too also :/

Just out of curiousity, bsu, are you North or South Korean?

Also, this was brought up for discussion on the Tekken Zaibatsu boards.

http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com/forums/showt...?threadid=93340

Good read.

^ South Korean. I think I told you this already, but my grandpa and a few of my relatives are from North. Only my grandpa managed to make it to south, the rest of stuck there (Dad's side).

Good discussion over there, minus the rap song JannaKazama wrote.

I don't like how some (Seung_Mina) are completely putting down the entire nation though. She acts like North Koreans love their leader. People who get bribed by the government do, large portion don't.

im wondering how this missile shield thing will work out with us and Japan. one thing is, is that we have a missile defence system that can stop enemy incomming missiles 45 seconds after launch. but thats only in tests.

japan is getting some missiles from us. i dunno about SK, i myself have not heard yet. i still say we need to send sam fisher into NK >.>

Yeah, bsu. I had the same initial reaction as you. It's ridiculous, putting the entire country (and China, but not getting into that yet) at risk?
Kim Il-Jong is not being rational. A competition for how fast he could put his nuclear weapons out just to further provoke the US is not worth the lives of millions of people.

And, it's ballistic, no one knew where it could have ended up.

^ UGH, yeah. It's so stupid. Everyone knows you're armed... Now what?

You guys hear about N.K's threat to the US? They threatened NUCLEAR war if US doesn't keep out of this.

If US attacks N.K (the distance between Seoul, S.K and N.K are really not that far...) then Kim will undeniably attack back, and China MIGHT get involved as well (being allies). South Korea is going to drawn into this no matter what and possibly Japan (FYI N.K and Japan are already in bad terms, and N.K's missiles are medium-ranged which are in-range of Japan). N.K's military is not like Iraq's, it shouldn't be underestimated. The entire Korean pennisula, and Japan, can be blown clean.

If US does attack, N.K is going to bomb the F out of S.K and Japan, killing off millions. But I don't think their missiles can reach US thankfully.

[sarcasm] bringing you the latest in news, me...
ya know, there comes a point when pushing it goes too far

maybe more.. 'testings'

N. Korea threatens to fire more missiles

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea angrily mocked international criticism of its multiple missile tests, threatening on Thursday to fire off more rockets. In the face of nearly unanimous world condemnation of the seven missile tests on Wednesday, Pyongyang's foreign minister released a blustery statement declaring that it had the right to develop and test its weapons — and vowing unspecified retaliation against anyone who tries to stop it. "Our military will continue with missile launch drills in the future as part of efforts to strengthen self-defense deterrent," said the statement, carried in state-run media. "If anyone intends to dispute or add pressure about this, we will have to take stronger physical actions in other forms."

The statement did not specify what actions North Korea would take. The aggressive stance from Pyongyang coincided with intense diplomatic activity in world capitals to formulate a response to the tests. Washington and its allies — particularly Japan — clamored for sanctions against the North, but struggled against resistance by China and Russia. North Korea set off an international furor on Wednesday when it tested seven missiles, all of which landed into the Sea of Japan without causing any damage. The blasts apparently included a long-range Taepodong-2 that broke up less than a minute after takeoff and splashed into the sea. On Friday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei — their nations' senior negotiators on North Korea — conferred on the missile tests.

Hill and Wu exchanged pleasantries before their meeting. After its conclusion, Hill was scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, before the U.S. envoy heads for Seoul. A Japanese newspaper reported Friday that North Korea had targeted South Pacific waters in the vicinity of Hawaii with the long-range missile. The conservative daily Sankei cited unnamed U.S. and Japanese and officials as saying Japan's Defense Agency and the U.S. military reached that conclusion after analyzing the missile's path from data collected from intelligence equipment. The report couldn't be immediately independently confirmed. The statement threatening more tests came as South Korean officials said intelligence reports showed continued activity at Northern missile sites, suggesting further firings could be in the works.

It was unclear if or when the missiles would fly. Japanese officials said they had no indications another Taepodong test was being prepared, and South Korean officials said the launches were not imminent. Still, the North pulled no punches in its statement, hailing the launches on Wednesday as a success and making no mention of the Taepodong-2 failure. "The successful missile launches were part of our military's regular military drills to strengthen self defense," said the statement. "As a sovereign country, this is our legal right and we are not bound by any international law or bilateral or multilateral agreements." The ministry also denied it had violated a missile moratorium, saying it was only in effect when Pyongyang was in dialogue with the U.S. The statement also blamed the Japanese for making an international issue out of North Korea's unsolved kidnappings of Japanese citizens.

Meanwhile, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday that Australia has decided to curtail its diplomatic ties with North Korea over the tests. The report said that Michael L'Estrange, head of the country's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said departmental dealings with North Korean officials will be canceled. The report did not elaborate and calls to the department seeking confirmation were not immediately returned. Australia is one of a handful of countries that maintains limited diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.