WAR North Korea Main Thread - All things Korea May 12th - May 18th

[Housecarl]

North Korea Main Thread - All things Korea May 5th - May 11th
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...Main-Thread-All-things-Korea-May-5th-May-11th

----

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...tter-to-congress-protesting-us-sanctions.html

NORTH KOREA

North Korea sends letter to congress protesting US sanctions

Published May 12, 2017 Fox News

North Korea's parliament sent a rare letter of protest to the U.S. House of Representatives over its new package of tougher sanctions, state media reported Friday.

The sanctions were condemned as a "heinous act against humanity" by the foreign affairs committee of the North's Supreme People's Assembly, the report said.

It's not unusual for Pyongyang to condemn moves to censure it by Washington, but a direct protest to Congress would be rare.

It was not immediately clear how the protest was conveyed since North Korea and the United States have no diplomatic relations and virtually no official channels of communication.

The report, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, said the letter of protest was sent Friday.

The House passed the sanctions package bill on May 4.

The House overwhelmingly voted to impose new sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The vote, 419-1, targets North Korea’s shipping industry and use of slave labor.

It also requires that the Trump administration report to Congress within 90 days on whether North Korea should be reinstated on the government’s state sponsors of terror list. Such a designation would trigger more sanctions, including restriction on U.S. foreign assistance.

Adm. Harry Harris Jr., the top American military officer in the Pacific, has warned lawmakers that it's a question of when, not if, Pyongyang successfully builds a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the U.S.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the sole member to vote against the measure. The Senate will take it up next.

The bipartisan legislation is aimed at thwarting North Korea's ambitions by cutting off access to the cash the regime needs to follow through with its plans.

The measure is sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce of California, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the committee's senior Democrat.

Specifically, the bill bars ships owned by North Korea, or by countries that refuse to comply with U.N. resolutions against it, from operating in American waters or docking at U.S. ports. Goods produced by North Korea's forced labor would be prohibited from entering the United States, according to the legislation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.todayonline.com/business...ages-linking-us-trade-moves-north-korea-issue

China official discourages linking U.S. trade moves to North Korea issue

PUBLISHED: 1:55 PM, MAY 12, 2017
UPDATED: 3:00 PM, MAY 12, 2017

BEIJING - China's vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao said on Friday that economic issues should not be politicized, when asked whether the outcomes of the 100-day plan for trade talks with the United States were related to the North Korea nuclear issue.

Zhu made the comments at a news briefing in Beijing.

The U.S. and China will expand trade in beef and chicken and increase access for financial firms, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday, in the first tangible results of trade talks that began last month.

U.S. President Donald Trump had previously urged China to do more to rein in the actions of the North in exchange for favorable trade policies. REUTERS

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201705120014.html

North Korea poses ‘existential’ threat, U.S. intel chief warns

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 12, 2017 at 12:35 JST

WASHINGTON--North Korea's nuclear weapons program poses a potentially "existential" threat to the United States, the national intelligence director said in a bleak appraisal to Congress on Thursday. He wouldn't say how close Pyongyang is to being able to strike the U.S. mainland.

Dan Coats said the unprecedented nuclear and missile testing last year indicates leader Kim Jong Un is intent on proving North Korea's capability. The North's public claims suggest it could conduct its first flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile this year.

And Pyongyang's statements that it needs nuclear weapons to survive suggest Kim "does not intend to negotiate them away at any price," Coats added at a Senate intelligence hearing on worldwide threats.

The heads of six U.S. intelligence agencies reviewed a slew of national security challenges facing the United States, warning about deteriorating security in Afghanistan, China's rising challenge, and Russian and other countries' use of cyberspace to target the U.S. and its allies.

Senators sought an assessment of when North Korea would be able to strike the United States with a nuclear weapon. Coats declined to provide such details in an open hearing. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein countered, "It's time for the American people to understand."

Coats, however, described the threat as potentially "existential."

North Korea's missile tests in 2016, including a space launch that put a satellite into orbit, have shortened its pathway toward a reliable intercontinental missile that could strike America, he said, and the North has expanded the size and sophistication of its ballistic missile forces.

Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, the Defense Intelligence Agency's director, said North Korea was at the same time developing a nuclear device and processing fissile material, aiming to miniaturize a device for a warhead to mount on such missiles.

"They are on that path and they are committed to doing that," he said.

On Iran, whose nuclear ambitions preoccupied Washington under President Barack Obama, Coats said the United States sees Tehran maintaining last year's agreement that contains its program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The deal has enhanced transparency of Iran's nuclear activities, Coats said, and he cited Obama administration estimates that the time it would take Iran to produce enough material for a nuclear weapon has been extended from a few months to about a year.

But he said the United States doesn't know if Iran will eventually decide to try to build nuclear weapons.

Intelligence chiefs gave a somber appraisal of security in Afghanistan, scene of America's longest-running war. U.S. forces invaded after 9/11 to defeat al-Qaida and their Taliban hosts, and the Trump administration is currently reviewing strategy and considering an augmentation of the current 8,500-strong U.S. force.

Coats said the situation will deteriorate and the Taliban will make gains, especially in rural areas. The performance of Afghan national security forces will worsen due to weak military leadership, desertions and combat casualties, he predicted.

If left unchecked, Stewart added, the "stalemate" will deteriorate in the Taliban's favor, risking "all the gains" from U.S.-backed efforts there.

Coats said Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are using cyberspace to target the United States and its allies and will do so in the future. He described Russia as a threat to U.S. government, military, diplomatic, business and critical infrastructure. China is also targeting the U.S. government and American businesses, Coats said, though he said such activity has diminished since a 2015 U.S.-Chinese agreement addressing cybertheft.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

So is it over? I seem to recall this is how the last few years of threats ended, although no one took him up on it in the past. May be time for Trump to meet with Kim and get this solved once and for all.



http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/05/13/38/0401000000AEN20170513002651315F.html
(fair use applies)

(LEAD) Pyongyang will talk with Washington under right conditions: N.K. diplomat
2017/05/13 14:01

BEIJING, May 13 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. affairs said Saturday Pyongyang will hold talks with Washington "under the right conditions," raising the possibility bilateral contact amid U.S. President Donald Trump having expressed his willingness to meet with the North's leader.

Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North America bureau chief of North Korea's foreign ministry, told reporters at the Beijing Capital International Airport that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with the U.S. administration.

This composite image shows Choe Son-hui, director-general and North America bureau chief of North Korea's foreign ministry. (Yonhap)

Choe led a North Korean delegation that met with a group of American experts, headed by Suzanne DiMaggio -- director of the U.S. think tank New America -- in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, according to South Korean diplomatic sources.

DiMaggio is known as an Iran specialist well-versed in the Obama administration's nuclear talks with the Middle Eastern nation. Thomas Pickering, former U.S. envoy to the U.N., and Robert Einhorn, U.S. State Department's former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, were also among the American experts' group.

The diplomat was in Beijing and was returning to Pyongyang. When asked what she discussed with Pickering, Choe answered, "I met with Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future."

This week's meeting took place amid a let-up in military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The North did not conduct a nuclear test or a long-range rocket launch in April despite a view that it may take such a provocative act to mark a series of key political events in the month.

It was also held as South Koreans picked Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party as their new president. Expectations are running high over a change of mood in inter-Korean ties that have long been frosty.

When asked whether Pyongyang is preparing to hold dialogue with Seoul's Moon administration, Che replied, "We will observe the situation."

The U.S. government has stated that it will not attach any special meaning to the so-called "track two" dialogue in Oslo.

"Track-two meetings are routinely held on a variety of topics around the world and occur independent of U.S. government involvement," a State Department official said.

But North Korea watchers took note of the timing of the meeting this time, saying it may provide the two sides with a chance for a type of "exploratory" talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump often talks tough about North Korea, emphasizing the need to put more pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime.

He recently said, however, he would meet Kim "under the right circumstances."

"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News earlier this month.

 

[Michael111]

NORTH KOREA TEST FIRES A BALLISTIC MISSILE FROM JUST NORTH OF PYONGYANG.

 

[Possible Impact]

People's Daily,China‏ Verified account @PDChina 5h
Chinese rappers sing ‘No No No’ to THAAD



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD7tOKqXBZI

Chinese rappers sing ‘No No No’ to THAAD

People's Daily, China


Published on May 13, 2017



____________

Chinese rappers take to Youtube, Twitter
with anti-THAAD song

By Deng Xiaoci
Source:Global Times
Published: 2017/5/11 22:08:40
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1046534.shtml

Chinese rappers have taken to Youtube and Twitter with their voice
against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
(THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, with their music video
watched for more than 6 million times on the platforms.

The nearly 3-minute Chinese-English bilingual rap titled "No to THAAD"
was made by the Sichuan-based rap group CD Rev and took a tough
stance against the system.

The lyrics read,
"This time kid [South Korea] you going too far.
things you doing now are gonna rip you apart."

The video footage has gone viral on the Internet amid a standoff between
Beijing and Seoul on the deployment of THAAD.

"We are not taking a ride on the hot issue for fame, but simply intend to
spread the voice of the young generation in the world," Chuckie, 24,
the alpha of the rap pack, told the Global Times on Thursday, in response
to the question why the song was first put on foreign platforms like
Youtube and Twitter rather than Chinese music applications.

The song also pours scorn on the "Mu Yalans" who smear China's dignity
by livestreaming their stupid acts under the name of patriotism, saying
that "you steal things in Lotte mall and you break down Korean phones
and cars. You don't even love the people of China, so how can we call
this patriotism?"

When asked if they have received "offensive comments" from the foreign
audiences, especially from the South Korean ones, Chuckie said,
"Absolutely, there is hatred," citing one of the comments as examples,
"I wish the UK invades China again and sell opium cheaper than rice."

The Communist Youth League of China has reposted the song on its official
Sina Weibo account on Thursday and got more than 3,500 likes as of press
time.

​

 

[eXe]

Breaking News‏ @BreakingNLive

BREAKING NEWS; #NorthKorea's new ballistic missile test has succeeded according to reports

 

[mzkitty]

???‏ @MSMCali 2m2 minutes ago

#ICYMI
#Breaking
On the eve of a summit in Beijing #SouthKorea News confirms another test ballistic missile has been launched by #NorthKorea

 

[Possible Impact]

North Korea Test-Fires Another Ballistic Missile


by Tyler Durden
May 13, 2017 5:18 PM
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-13/north-korea-test-fires-another-ballistic-missile



On the eve of a summit in Beijing, and just hours after Pyongyang's chief nuclear
negotiator said North Korea is ready to hold talks with the United States "if the
conditions are mature", South Korea's Yonhap reports that North Korea has fired
one projectile, believed to be a ballistic missile from a region north of
Pyongyang.

Coming just hours after The South China Morning Post reports Choe Son-hui, head of
the North Korea's Foreign Ministry's North America bureau, offered the assurance i
n the Chinese capital after an informal meeting in Norway with Thomas Pickering,
a former US ambassador to the United Nations.

"If conditions are mature, we will hold dialogue with the Donald
Trump administration," she said.

Choe made the remarks just days after Trump said he would be willing to
meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "under the right circumstances".

But the comments also came as the US embassy in Beijing told China's
foreign ministry that North Korea's attendance at the top-level
gathering for the "Belt and Road Initiative" could send the wrong
message as the world was trying to pressure Pyongyang over its
*repeated missile and nuclear tests. The foreign ministry said Beijing
welcomed the participation of all countries in the summit.

​

South Korea's Yonhap News confirms North Korea has fired what appears to be
a ballistic missile from its west coast, the South Korean military reported
early Sunday.

* * *

Of course, this should not be a total surprise... In a interview earlier in the week with
by Sky News, in response to a question "is a sixth nuclear test now imminent", the
answer of the North Korean Ambassador to the UK, Choe Il was "In regards to
the sixth nuclear test, I do not know the scheduled time for it, as I am here in the UK,
not in my home country. However, I can say that the nuclear test will be
conducted at the place and time as decided by our supreme leader, Kim
Jong-Un."

Asked if he is afraid of a possible US military response, the ambassador answers that
"we are developing our nuclear strength to respond to that kind of attack by the US.
If the US attacks us, our military and people are fully ready to respond to any kind
of attack. I do not think the US are considering a military attack against us."

Asked what would North Korea's response be to a preemptive strike, he answer that:
"The US cannot attack us first. If the US moves an inch, then we are ready
to turn to ashes any available strategic assets of the US."

 

[Possible Impact]

Noon in Korea‏ @NoonInKorea 10m
Rodong Sinmun says
Trump should not expect NK to denuclearize "even a little bit":
"nukes symbolize NK's strength"

https://translate.google.com/transl...0AKR20170513029500014.HTML&edit-text=&act=url
(Google Translate)

 

[Ben Sunday]

Fwiw, we can see and understand that these extra negotiators are folks in the realm of Thomas Pickering and Ms. Dimaggio. Hardly heavy hitters but certainly better material than the Clintons, Jesse Jackson or some lightweight celebrity (however well intentioned.)

Still, the latest nuke test is a great concern.

 

[TorahTips]

Fwiw, we can see and understand that these extra negotiators are folks in the realm of Thomas Pickering and Ms. Dimaggio. Hardly heavy hitters but certainly better material than the Clintons, Jesse Jackson or some lightweight celebrity (however well intentioned.)

Still, the latest nuke test is a great concern.

When was the nuke test? I didn't hear about that.

 

[TorahTips]

Things have gotten much more complex since the South Korean election, IMO. The new leader wants THAAD removed. He wants to negotiate with the North. He does not want the US to attack the North. All of these issues make it more difficult for us to do something militarily.

 

[Possible Impact]

InsideNK‏ @inside_nk 43m
Looks likely the launch was from
the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in North Korea


Steve Herman‏Verified account @W7VOA 35m
Launch site for DPRK missiles is identified as Kusong,
thus likely an IRBM test.
#Korea



InsideNK‏ @inside_nk 35m
Missile was a success for North Korea


InsideNK‏ @inside_nk 19m
It flew 700km

 

[Possible Impact]

Things have gotten much more complex since the South Korean election, IMO. The new leader wants THAAD removed. He wants to negotiate with the North. He does not want the US to attack the North. All of these issues make it more difficult for us to do something militarily.

Steve Herman‏ Verified account @W7VOA 2m
ROK President Moon Jae-in convenes his first emergency meeting
of the National Security Council.


Steve Herman ‏Verified account @W7VOA 1m
DPRK missile flew for 30 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan
(aka East Sea in Korea), according to Japanese government.

 

[Warm Wisconsin]

This is not the news I wanted as I'm leaving my four kids behind for a week, and heading to the Arizona. I am going anyways and putting my trust in God that nothing hits the west coast.

 

[Ordinary Girl]

Steve Herman‏ Verified account @W7VOA 2m
ROK President Moon Jae-in convenes his first emergency meeting
of the National Security Council.


Steve Herman ‏Verified account @W7VOA 1m
DPRK missile flew for 30 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan
(aka East Sea in Korea), according to Japanese government.

He isn't going to be happy until he starts a war.

 

[Vegas321]

Just when you thought it was safe to back into the water. Here we go again...

 

[mzkitty]

Josh Stubblefield‏ @J_Stubble 3m3 minutes ago
Replying to @J_Stubble @Liveuamap @PacificCommand

.@PacificCommand statement:

https://twitter.com/PacificCommand

 

[brudog]

Interesting times indeed...

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2017/05/14/0200000000AEN20170514000352315.html

(2nd LD) N. Korea fires ballistic missile, Moon convenes NSC session
2017/05/14 07:47

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details; MODIFIES headline)

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched a ballistic missile Sunday morning from a site north of Pyongyang, South Korea's military said, as President Moon Jae-in immediately convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the issue.

"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5:27 a.m. today from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan Province," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement

The projectile flew some 700 kilometers with additional information being analyzed, it added.

The flight distance suggests a success of the missile test, the North's first military provocation since the inauguration of Moon last week.

Moon is presiding over the NSC session that started at 7 a.m,, according to his office Cheong Wa Dae.

The JCS said, "Our military is maintaining a full defense posture, closely monitoring the North Korean military's move."

The North test-fired a Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), also known as KN-15, from the same site on Feb. 12.

lcd@yna.co.kr

(END)

 

[Housecarl]

Well this was published before the "test"....

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Eco...ngyang-envoys-may-talk-at-Belt-and-Road-Forum

May 13, 2017 6:54 am JST
Seoul, Pyongyang envoys may talk at Belt and Road Forum

China gives South Korea late invite in potential thawing under Moon

KENICHI YAMADA, Nikkei staff writer
SEOUL -- A South Korean delegation to the two-day Belt and Road Forum in Beijing that starts Sunday could meet with representatives from North Korea.

The delegation led by Park Byeong-seug, a former deputy speaker of the South's National Assembly, may enter China as early as Saturday. Park said that representatives from the two Koreas are scheduled to be at the forum simultaneously for an entire day, providing a natural opportunity to speak.

North Korea's delegation will be headed by Kim Yong Jae, the country's minister for external economic relations, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

Such a meeting would be the first high-level exchange between the two Koreas under new South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office Wednesday.

China's Belt and Road Initiative aims to create trade links spanning Asia, Europe and Africa. South Korea was not among the several dozen countries initially invited to the forum, due to Chinese concerns over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile shield in the South. But Beijing seems to be softening its attitude, as Moon has questioned his predecessor's decision to install THAAD.

Park also said that South Korean and Chinese representatives would meet on the sidelines of the forum, according to Yonhap. The two sides could discuss the THAAD deployment, as well as Chinese economic retaliation over the decision.

Related stories
Tokyo sends big delegation to China's Silk Road forum
In sharp reversal, Sino-American trade relations improve
Yves Tiberghien: Belt and Road Initiative aims to boost globalization

 

[mzkitty]

Radio World‏ @radioworldsv 4m4 minutes ago

#BREAKING South Korean President Moon Jae-in slams North missile launch as 'reckless provocation'

 

[almost ready]

Confusing enough.

#BREAKINGNEWS‏ @UrgentNews5

Japan says North Korea's missile reached an altitude of up to 2,000 km (1,243 miles); may be a new type of missile .



https://twitter.com/UrgentNews5/status/863558653034598401

 

[somdwatcher]

Confusing enough.

#BREAKINGNEWS‏ @UrgentNews5

Japan says North Korea's missile reached an altitude of up to 2,000 km (1,243 miles); may be a new type of missile .



https://twitter.com/UrgentNews5/status/863558653034598401

Aw crap, that is really not good news.

 

[Housecarl]

Aw crap, that is really not good news.

Yeah...IRBM test or ICBM first stage test....

 

[Vegas321]

Yeah...IRBM test or ICBM first stage test....

Yep. Very bad news...

 

[energy_wave]

The darkest night of the month is the 25th. The USS Ronald Regan replaces the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Abraham Lincoln is back in service.

 

[Housecarl]

The darkest night of the month is the 25th. The USS Ronald Regan replaces the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Abraham Lincoln is back in service.

This goes "hot" the first stuff going into the DPRK is going to make it bright enough to read a paper on the DMZ...

 

[AlfaMan]

So we had a missile test tonight, eh? Oh lordy Lil Kim just keeps pushing and pushing. He's not to bright, clearly.

The new ROK president is left wing and is hinting to remove the THAAD launchers from South Korea. And then DPRK does a missile test. Wonder if Mr. Moon is still convinced diplomacy and talks will still calm down the North Korean mess.

My money is on a Sunday morning (our time) nuclear test from our friends in Pyongyang. Matched with a suitable response from Mr. Trump.

Make the rubble bounce, Donald!

 

[Kevmoley]

Just read about the test. It appears the ball is now in Trump's court.

 

[mzkitty]

Devon Heinen‏ @DevonHeinen 7m7 minutes ago
Replying to @DevonHeinen

#BREAKING
White House issues statement on #NorthKorea's latest missile launch (via WH Press Pool).

 

[energy_wave]

This goes "hot" the first stuff going into the DPRK is going to make it bright enough to read a paper on the DMZ...

I'm thinking 8 to 10 B2's along with 20 F-22's and 60 F-35's while 600 to 800 cruise missiles come flying in from all directions. Also autonomous weapons taking out antiaircraft systems, them the B1's come in loaded with cluster bombs to take out the artillery in the DMZ.

 

[Vegas321]

I'm thinking 8 to 10 B2's along with 20 F-22's and 60 F-35's while 600 to 800 cruise missiles come flying in from all directions. Also autonomous weapons taking out antiaircraft systems, them the B1's come in loaded with cluster bombs to take out the artillery in the DMZ.

Yeah, that's how it may play out in the opening hours of a campaign.

 

[TheSearcher]

Hm. I wonder if Moon is rethinking anything about his strategy right about now...

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Well, that relief that it was all over didn't last very long did it?

http://allthingsnuclear.org/dwright/north-koreas-missile-in-new-test-would-have-4500-km-range
(fair use applies)

North Korea’s Missile in New Test Would Have 4,500 km Range
David Wright, co-director and senior scientist
May 13, 2017, 9:09 pm EDT

North Korea launched a missile in a test early in the morning of May 14, North Korean time. If the information that has been reported about the test are correct, the missile has considerably longer range than its current missiles.

Reports from Japan say that the missile fell into the Sea of Japan after traveling about 700 km (430 miles), after flying for about 30 minutes.

A missile with a range of 1,000 km (620 miles), such as the extended-range Scud, or Scud-ER, would only have a flight time of about 12 minutes if flown on a slightly lofted trajectory that traveled 700 km.

A 30-minute flight time would instead require a missile that was highly lofted, reaching an apogee of about 2,000 km (1,240 miles) while splashing down at a range of 700 km. If that same missile was flown on a standard trajectory, it would have a maximum range of about 4,500 km (2,800 miles).

New press reports are in fact giving a 2,000 km apogee for the test.

Fig. 1 The black curve is the lofted trajectory flown on the test. The red curve is the same missile flown on a normal (MET) trajectory.

This range is considerably longer than the estimated range of the Musudan missile, which showed a range of about 3,000 km in a test last year. Guam is 3,400 km from North Korea. Reaching the US West Coast would require a missile with a range of more than 8,000 km. Hawaii is roughly 7,000 km from North Korea.

This missile may have been the new mobile missile seen in North Korea’s April 15 parade. It appears to be a two-stage liquid-fueled missile.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

http://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-fires-projectile/3850802.html
(fair use applies)


North Korean Missile Test Condemned by Tokyo, Seoul, US
Steve Herman
Last Updated: May 13, 2017 11:31 PM

North Korea launched a missile Sunday in an unusual high-altitude ballistic path that indicated it might be a new two-stage liquid-fueled rocket capable of flying up to 4,500 kilometers.

The test, according to a White House statement, should “serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea.”

Earlier, Japan and South Korea quickly condemned North Korea’s action as a grave threat to the region and a violation of U.N. resolutions about North Korea’s arms programs.

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, ordered his government to “prepare for all possible contingencies,” according to his office.

“The launch of such ballistic missiles is a serious threat to our country. The defense ministry and the self-defense forces are continuing to work closely with the United States and South Korea to collect and analyze the information,” Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters in Tokyo. “We will make every effort to ensure the peace and security of our country.”

She explained it was possibly a new type of missile that was fired in a high-angle orbit, reaching an altitude of more than 2,000 kilometers and flying for 30 minutes, before coming down in the Sea of Japan after a total flight of about 700 kilometers.

The splash-down point was about 400 kilometers from the east coast of North Korea, according to the Japanese government.

Scientists: Not an ICBM

“This is kind of a big deal. But it’s not an ICBM. That’s the good news,” Union of Concerned Scientists co-director David Wright told VOA.

If flown on a standard trajectory, the missile fired by North Korea Sunday morning would have a range of up to 4,500 kilometers, according to Wright.

Guam, an American territory with two large U.S. military bases, is 3,400 kilometers from North Korea and until now had been considered beyond the range of the most powerful rocket North Korea is known to have developed, the Musudan, with a range of about 3,000 kilometers.

With this test, North Korea may have leapfrogged its troubled Musudan series of missiles.

“It would put together things we’ve seen them doing that they haven’t been able to put together,” Wright said.

South Korea, US weigh in

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, sworn in just days ago, denounced the launch as a “reckless provocation” by Pyongyang. Meeting in Seoul with his top advisers, Moon said the timing of the launch was particularly regrettable, coming so soon after his inauguration and his pledge to try to improve ties with the North.

The U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, confirmed the rocket launch but said the unidentified projectile did not appear to be large enough to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon that North Korea says it is developing.

President Donald Trump was briefed about the North Korean launch on the telephone by National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, a White House official told VOA news.

The White House statement, which said “North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long” also seemed to make an indirect appeal to Moscow for stronger cooperation to counter Pyongyang.

“With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil — in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan — the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased,” according to the White House statement issued late Saturday.

Pyongyang addresses Washington

Just one day earlier, a senior North Korean diplomat had said Pyongyang would be willing to talk with the United States about the two countries’ disputes, under the right conditions.

Choe Son Hui, the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s director general for U.S. affairs, raised the issue of talks when she spoke with reporters in Beijing while returning home from a trip to Norway.

“We’ll have dialogue if the conditions are there,” Choe said, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. While in Oslo, Choe met with American academics and former U.S. officials.

Some analysts dismissed Choe’s comment as a long-stated position of Pyongyang, along with its constant belligerent rhetoric toward Washington and Seoul.

After another diplomatic crisis last month triggered by North Korean missile tests, Trump had warned there was a possible “major, major conflict” brewing with Pyongyang, but that he hoped for a diplomatic solution to the dispute over the North’s nuclear and missile programs.

The U.S. president later said he would be willing to meet with the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, under the right circumstances.

In the aftermath of the latest North Korean missile launch, meanwhile, American, European and Japanese military units gathered for war games in a group of remote U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean. The exercises are meant to warn North Korea not to test the allies’ military might.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

I'm seeing rumblings on twitter that the missile fell closer to Vladivostok than to Japan. If so, that would explain Pres Trump's reference to Russia in his statement. Haven't seen anything official so no links, at this point it's just something to keep an eye out for to see if there's any truth to the rumor.

HD

 

[energy_wave]

Moon urges stern response to NK launch

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170514000135

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday called for tough countermeasures to North Korean provocations following its latest missile launch.

“The possibility of dialogue is open, but provocations must be met with stern responses to prevent North Korea from making misjudgments,” Moon said at a National Security Council meeting at 8 a.m.

“(Seoul) must show that dialogue is possible only when North Korea changes its behavior.”
The newly elected liberal president has stated on a number of occasions that he would take a softer approach to Pyongyang than his predecessors and that he is open to engaging in dialogue if necessary conditions are met.

At 5:27 a.m., Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile from North Pyongan Province in the country’s northwestern region. This is the fifth time North Korea has launched a ballistic missile since March. The four previous launches -- March 22 and April 5, 16 and 29 -- were assessed by Seoul and its allies as having failed.

The missile, which fell into the East Sea after traveling a distance of over 700 kilometers, has not been identified. The US has indicated it may be a new type of ballistic missile.

Shortly after the launch, a US Pacific Command official was quoted by the media as saying that information gathered about the missile does not match that of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

PACOM also said the missile does not appear to be capable of posing a threat to the mainland US.

As the allies analyze the latest launch, the South Korean president ordered Seoul’s military to maintain readiness and to work closely with the US to prepare for “any military provocation” by Pyongyang. Moon also called for the development of the Korean Air and Missile Defense system to be hastened.

“This is a clear violation of the US Security Council resolutions, and a grave challenge against international peace and security,” Moon said.

Later in the day, the US backed Moon’s warnings in a communication between the two sides’ top national security officials.

National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and his US counterpart H.R. McMaster reaffirmed the two sides’ will to cooperate closely in responding to threats and maintain military readiness.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two sides also agreed to cooperate closely with the international community to denuclearize North Korea.

Seoul reiterated the warnings in a government statement released later in the day.

In the statement, the Seoul government warned North Korea against further provocations, saying Pyongyang should not “test the will of the international community” for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“(The South Korean government) once again urges North Korea to cease all provocations and to engage in dialogue for denuclearization,” the government said in a statement.
The Japanese government also reacted swiftly to the development with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying the country would not tolerate such provocations.

“North Korea’s repeated firing of ballistic missiles is a grave threat to the country (Japan), and a clear violation of the US Security Council’s resolutions,” Abe told the media ahead of Japan’s national security meeting.

He went on to say the Japanese government would work with Seoul and Washington to maintain a high level of readiness and to respond to further provocations.

According to Japanese media, Tokyo’s Defense Ministry suspects Pyongyang employed a different launch method in its latest provocation.

“North Korea’s missile is estimated to have reached altitude of over 2,000 kilometers,” Japan’s Defense Minister Tomomi Inada was quoted as saying by Japanese media.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)

 

[Housecarl]

I'm thinking 8 to 10 B2's along with 20 F-22's and 60 F-35's while 600 to 800 cruise missiles come flying in from all directions. Also autonomous weapons taking out antiaircraft systems, them the B1's come in loaded with cluster bombs to take out the artillery in the DMZ.

The number of cruise missiles you are suggesting is a "maximum effort"...

Considering the table stakes, I was thinking in terms of 10 fully MIRV'd (12 RVs) Trident D5s....

If Trump decides he has to act at this point, it will necessitate the true meaning of "maximum effort"...