North Korea: Japan May Face “Self-Destruction”
Comments: 3
This is cheery news.
North Korea warns Japan may face “self-destruction” over satellite launch
AFP story via Yahoo NewsTOKYO (AFP) - North Korea has warned that Japan would face “self-destruction” if it puts a spy satellite into orbit as Tokyo said it had stepped up vigilance amid reports Pyongyang may test a ballistic missile around the time of the satellite launch.
Japan is due to launch its first two spy satellites on Friday, a move approved after North Korea fired a suspected medium-range Taepodong missile over the country into the Pacific in August 1998.
Blackmail or not, I’d feel better if someone — anyone! — engaged North Korea in talks to at least try to get a grip on this situation. If you’re talking, then no one’s firing. It’s when the talking stops that things get scary.
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Posted to General Rants • 2003.03.27 (Thu) • 11:23
Comments
Posted by kristen 2003.03.28, 15:32
Well, the talking stopped today. NK pulled out of its weekly chats with South Korea and says it might just have to start ignoring that pesky 1953 armistice.
Posted by jh 2003.03.28, 21:04
Why do I get the feeling there is deep denial of the situation with North Korea? Go to The Japan Times today and there’s not a single story about it, nor any mention of the fact that Japan launched two spy satellites today. Instead we get ” 46 vie for governorships,” ” Interpol puts Fujimori on wanted list ,” and ” Doctor denies murdering comatose man” —- all newsworthy items to be sure, but none threatening annihilation by missiles of downtown Tokyo.
Over at the The New York Times there’s a story on the satellite launch today by James Brooke but not much else. Their International page links to two articles: a story of a few paragraphs by Andrew Ward with no dateline (and taken from the Financial Times) called N Korea solution possible, says envoy and a long, decent-looking piece by James Laney & Jason Shaplen from the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs called How to Deal With North Korea.
Now I’m not looking for escalation by any means, and I’m not necessarily looking for North Korea to be given the attention it apparently craves. What I would like to see just a little bit more of is evidence that the issue is being taken as seriously as it possible can and being given high-level, intelligent consideration (if that phrase hasn’t become an oxymoron in the last two years).
Posted by kristen 2003.03.29, 21:45
I think when things drop out of the news, there’s a good reason for it. They’re being hidden onpurpose during times of unstability or indecision so people don’t panic.
Myabe that’s a good thing. Or maybe not. Personally, I’m all for panic.
A friend of mine is a correspondent covering NK and he was pretty panicky a few weeks back. He’s interviewed all the people NK will allow and he thinks there aren’t too many good endings to this situation. NK has very little to lose and they are building up nuclear arms (8 within the next year, he predicts, plus the two they are suspected of already having). Why not lob one into Tokyo or Okinawa and see what happens? Bring the US into this for sure, then threaten to his the West Coast. Would be an interesting situation, to say the least.
I guess we’ll see. I hope it doesn’t come to that.
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