North Korea is poised for its next move

An Australian perspective (that criticizes the Australian Foreign minister).  I am not sure what the world's longest "amnesty" is, maybe that is an Australian translation for armistice (I am sure someone will correct me and tell me amnesty is correct or perhaps it is an attempt at satire that is over my head).

North Korea has been the biggest single threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific since the Korean War paused for the world's longest amnesty in 1953 and that situation is unlikely to change any time soon.

But the author is correct here:

Phoning allies and thanking China must surely give the mad regime pause for thought. 

Sadly, none of the diplomatic posturing or harsh words will have any impact on Kim Jong-un and the regime.

And this is quite a concluding statement:

If the North Koreans manage to marry their rocket and nuclear technologies into a single package then it won't be a matter of what others say. 

Washington simply cannot and will not allow that to happen.

V/R
Dave 

North Korea is poised for its next move

• Ian McPhedran From:
  Herald Sun December 31, 2012 12:00AM
• http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/north-korea-is-poised-for-its-next-move/story-e6frfhqf-1226545405830

HOUSTON, we have a problem. And the problem's name is North Korea - the rogue nation with the new Dr Strangelove in the top job.

Youthful dictator Kim Jong-un, has successfully launched a satellite from a locally produced rocket called Unha or "galaxy".

That in itself is not a major problem, but the fact that the rocket could potentially carry a nuclear warhead across the Pacific to the US or even south to Australia is a very big problem.

North Korea is oblivious to outside influences or criticism and even its only friend, China, had no choice but to join a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning its latest snub to the rest of humanity.

Footage showed jubilant North Koreans dancing in the streets with glasses of beer rejoicing at the successful launch. The revellers would have been hand-picked officials, as most of the country's dirt-poor citizens don't have the energy to dance because they are starving.

It is difficult to imagine what is going on in an administration that values space travel and missiles above the welfare of its people. The Security Council warned after a failed rocket launch in April that it could take "action" if North Korea tried again.

"Members of the Security Council recalled that in April they demanded that the DPRK (North Korea) not proceed with any further launch using ballistic missile technology and also expressed the council's determination to take action accordingly in the event of a further DPRK launch," a UN statement said.

"Members of the Security Council will continue consultations on an appropriate response in accordance with its responsibilities given the urgency of the matter."

(Continued at the link below)

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/north-korea-is-poised-for-its-next-move/story-e6frfhqf-1226545405830

north Korea says launch was a success

BREAKING: NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES ROCKET

http://www.nknews.org/2012/12/breaking-north-korea-launches-rocket/

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED ITS LONG-RANGE ROCKET AT 0951KST. DEBRIS HAS FALLEN INTO WATERS TO THE WEST OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA, AND THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT SAYS THE ROCKET HAS ALREADY PASSED OVER OKINAWA.

 December 12, 2012

Reports in South Korean media say North Korea launched its rocket at 0951KST today from the West coast of the Korean peninsula, and that it has already passed over the Japanese island of Okinawa, and that the satellite is now in orbit.

North Korean official state media said:

The launching of the satellite ‘Gwangmyongsong-3′ using the “Unha-3″ rocket was a success, and the satellite has entered into the planned orbit.

South Korean government spokesman Kim Min-seok told South Korean media gathered for a press conference at the Ministry of Defence in Seoul:

At 0951 this morning, the [North Korean] rocket was launched from the Tongch’ang-dong Space Launch Center. The rocket was tracked until 0958, when the object passed over the West of Okinawa

Kim also told reporters that there were indications of the launch since yesterday, but this information was not revealed to the public. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has reportedly called an immediate national security meeting and Japan has requested that the UN Security Council convene today [Wednesday] and Japanese Prime Minister Noda has called a national security meeting for 1055 Tokyo time.

Speaking to CNN, a senior US official said that they were “surprised” by the launch and that it was “not expected”.

(Continued at the link below)

http://www.nknews.org/2012/12/breaking-north-korea-launches-rocket/

Countdown to Pyongyang’s Missile Launch: Unha Rocket Stages at Assembly Building

Will the north launch before the ROK Presidential election?  There is imagery in the article at the 38 North website at the link below.
V/R
Dave

Countdown to Pyongyang’s Missile Launch: Unha Rocket Stages at Assembly Building

 |  || 

By 38 North

http://38north.org/2012/11/sohae112912/

A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Nick Hansen.

Summary

Preparations for a new North Korean rocket launch appear to be underway at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station located on its west coast. Based on DigitalGlobe satellite imagery released on November 23 and 26, trailers carrying the first two stages of an Unha (also referred to as the Taepodong-2) rocket were spotted parked near the main missile assembly building, a clear indicator that the rocket stages are being checked out before moving to the pad for an eventual launch.[1]

Other launch-related activities are ongoing. Empty tanks spotted at four locations indicate that the propellant buildings at the pad have likely been filled in preparation for the fueling of the rocket. The instrumentation site for monitoring a launch is still incomplete—one temporary building with a possible antenna has been established at the site, but instrumentation trailers are still parked near the assembly building. There is increased activity at buildings used to house VIPs in the past, including construction of temporary covered parking structures. Additionally, major improvements have been made to the observation building and grounds.

Exactly why Pyongyang is moving towards firing a long-range rocket at this time of year, contrary to past practice when launches typically occurred in spring or summer, remains unclear. Speculation has focused on North-South competition prompted by the South Korean satellite launch that was planned for November 29. If Pyongyang follows past practice in preparing for a launch, it could be ready to fire a rocket as early as the end of the first week in December. However, past practice has also been to announce dates and hours for sea or air closure areas for the rocket’s first and second stage impact areas, and to file for a frequency plan for a satellite in advance. Since that has not happened yet, the window would appear to be closing for an early launch.

(Continued at the link below)

http://38north.org/2012/11/sohae112912/

North Korea’s Illegal Weapons Pipeline Flows On

I am grateful to the Wall Street Journal for maintaining visibility on north Korea's weapons exports which are of course key to regime survival and also support enemies of the US and the free world.  Note at the very least China turns a blind eye these activities.

V/R

Dave

• Updated November 27, 2012, 9:18 p.m. ET

North Korea’s Illegal Weapons Pipeline Flows On

By JAY SOLOMON in Washington, YUKA HAYASHI in Tokyo and COLUM MURPHY in Shanghai

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323830404578144981537771060.html?mod=WSJAsia_hpp_LEFTTopStories

Illegal shipments of missile technology and weapons from North Korea have flowed unabated under the leadership of Kim Jong Eun, dashing Western hopes that Pyongyang’s new leader might moderate his country’s aggressive proliferation activities.

Ships or planes bound for Myanmar and Syria and loaded with weapons-related equipment originating in North Korea have been diverted or blocked in recent months, U.S., Asian and Arab officials say. The United Nations has imposed sanctions against Pyongyang’s weapons trade.

The disclosures come amid new fears that North Korea is preparing for its second long-range missile launch since Mr. Kim took power in late 2011. Satellite images this week showed increased activity at North Korea’s satellite-launch station on its western coast.

The Obama administration and allied governments have been hoping to test Mr. Kim’s willingness to more directly engage Washington and perhaps open up his isolated nation. U.S. officials note that the younger Kim is the first North Korean leader who didn’t live through the 1950-53 Korean War. And the Swiss-educated dictator, believed to have been born in 1983 or 1984, has initiated some economic reforms, reorganized the military and shown a liking for Western pop music since succeeding his late father, Kim Jong Il.

Nonetheless, North Korea’s continued arms exports and missile tests are signs that the younger Mr. Kim has little desire—or ability—to change Pyongyang’s roguish behavior. Indeed, U.S. and Asian officials said they are still not certain if Mr. Kim has fully consolidated power over North Korea’s generals. And the cash-strapped North is desperately in need of the hard currency it gets from arms exports.

U.S. officials believe North Korea has remained one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s closest partners, helping develop Damascus’s missile and chemical-weapons programs even as a civil war has engulfed the Arab country. U.N. inspectors believe Damascus and Pyongyang secretly built a nuclear reactor in eastern Syria before Israeli jets destroyed the facility in 2007.

(Continued at the link below)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323830404578144981537771060.html?mod=WSJAsia_hpp_LEFTTopStories