North Korea appears to have launched their rocket, according to the Japanese and South Korean governments.
Those countries and the U.S. have urged North Korea not to launch what the North Koreans claim is a communications satellite but everyone else thinks is a long-range missile test. It’s widely thought that North Korea has ambitions to sell missiles to awesome governments like Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Yemen and Libya.
The U.S. has vowed a strong response—most likely they will stop following N. Korea on Twitter.
UPDATE: Some reports that the Japanese may have “made an error” on the launch detection, though the news is now whipping around the world like wildfire, so it might as well be true at this point. Where’s the takeback button on this here Internet?
Public domain image from Wikimedia
Yikes! A rocket…we’re scared.
Guess we’ll have to tune the DoD’s Resonating Annihilation Pulsator to “Rocket, Middle-Grade Class”.
Might take a few seconds.
I’ll call Boeing and see if they can do it tonight.
Tokyo has already retracted the announcement. Whoops!
@2 – Source? All I see is reports from more and more sources that it happened, with reports of the splashdown of the second stage, etc.
Why would anyone sell rockets to Russia. That country is like the Craigslist for nuclear weapons.
@2 – Now the Japanese retraction is making the rounds. Post updated.
tapemydongson 2 has cumed
The solution is this simple:
Hey, um… China? Could you make this whole North Korea thing go away? We’ll throw in Taiwan.
If the US truly cared about UN Security Council resolutions, the US would have cut off military aid to Israel 30 years ago. Almost everyday the US fires missiles to kill people. And the US is still the only country to use nuclear weapons. Who will punish the US? Who will make the world safe from the US?
In opinion, The UN is not going to do anything serious just pass more BS resolutions,
that the only thing they best. if any country really want to stop North Korea from
having long-range missile they would have done something a long time ago.
I am shoked that N. Korea would do this! Afterall, didn’t Obama have a peaceful discussion with them. Lets deny that they didn’t launch a rocket, then we won’t have to follow through with any previously made threats. Ali BaBA Obama….rub your magic lamp.
Lona
What is so difficult!!!
Wipe out this North Corea. Anyhow sooner or later it will come to this.
U.N. is a bunch of dickless morons who waste taxpayers money.
Anthony,
If this launch is verified it will be most disappointing. One of the most protracted negotiations with N. Korea occurred under the Bush Administration. In fact, we had a deal. Diplomat Christopher Hill and his team engineered an agreement along with the Chinese and S. Korea only to have the mercurial Kim Jong Il disregard it. In fact, I believe we removed them (N. Korea) off of the list of terrorist nations. How unfortunate. This is an early test for Obama. We’ll hear his reaction.
North Korea will do anything for attention.
@ 11,
It’s spelled N-O-R-T-H K-O-R-E-A. As opposed to “corea”….who were you calling a moron?
disregarding 11 &14 for being irrelevant and probably in high school.
to the rest of you: really? your comments on slog will have any effect on international arms diplomacy? anyone up there cares what you say?
in other words, we’re just carping. about world peace, yeah, but still. these are the things that get decided by people way above our barista pay grade.
@3: The BBC online posts that the U.S. and South Korea are claiming that this missile ‘failed’. (BBC’s use of quotes on the failure, not mine.)
is the launch physics or propaganda
it failed or swooped into the air and moved to a destination
North Korea is very dangerous and would love to hit Japan with nukes – the hatred goes back centuries
this failed diplomacy or failure to invade and liberate – humanity will rue the day
pity the North Korean people – hunger – poverty – and brainwashed to the max
I’d expect a slap on their hands… let’s wait until they sell their technology to Iran and wait again until Iran uses it. Remember we must remain calm.
It is irony that with the prospect of nukes used in regional war – we worry about auto pollution.
Iran and North Korea are both crazy political cults and WILL use nukes if they ever get them ….
Yes, remain calm, gay marriage is the end of civilization ….
Many years ago I witnessed an incident in a third world country: a severely leprosy afflicted man harassed people in a market, taking food and other goods from the merchants and patrons, and not one dared to stop him, lest contracting leprosy from his blisters.
What’s the point of this story? Well, N Korean is the leper who has nothing to lose but every thing to gain from the rich people who want nothing more than to live healthily to enjoy their rich.
@ 17 – Definition of an evil government: trying to be a military badass while half of your people starve.
The war economy of N. Korea means a standing army of over a million, in a small poor country. I don’t know how much of their wealth goes to the army and missile, nuke projects, but, it is staggering.
Famine lurks and children starve. Sad and dangerous.
Japan made a premature call – about a day early. The BBC “fail” report presumes the intent of the test was to put a satellite into orbit.
Maybe they meant to orbit something, maybe they didn’tm but nothing orbited, and DPRK is now bragging about their imaginary satellite.
Has the US or Israel or India signed the NNPT?
NK’s gotta win the award for Least Free Country on the Planet. People there speak to each other in public ONLY IN WHISPERS. Very sad.
I can’t wait for Barack Hussein Obama to demand the North Koreans sit down and talk about this.
A real man like Ronald Reagan wouldn’t have stood for this!
What we have in the White House now is a black Jimmy Carter.
Hmmmmm …. black Jimmy from Chicago ….hmmmmmm….