North Korea tests ballistic missile; U.S. to avoid escalation

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters



Sun Feb 12, 2017 | 11:26am EST

By Ju-min Park and Matt Spetalnick | SEOUL/WASHINGTON

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea early on Sunday, the first such test since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, and his administration indicated that Washington would have a calibrated response to avoid escalating tensions.

The test was likely to have been of an intermediate-range Musudan-class missile that landed in the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea's military, not an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which the North has said it could test at any time.

The launch marks the first test of Trump's vow to get tough on an isolated North Korean regime that last year tested nuclear devices and ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate in violation of United Nations resolutions.

A U.S. official said the Trump administration had been expecting a North Korean "provocation" soon after taking office and will consider a full range of options in response, but they would be calibrated to show U.S. resolve while avoiding escalation.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN15Q0TE

[Rustyeye77]

1. Nothing to worry about.

They can't reach California yet.

[yeoman6987]

4. I think half the country would not be concerned if it reached California

I wish I was kidding.

[Rustyeye77]

5. So.

They are getting there.

Anyone here wanting to knock them out ?

We could do that.

[FairWinds]

2. Only the hyper-power is allowed . .

to test missiles at its pleasure.

American Exceptionalism.

Of course, this is not just about the Drumph.

Veterans For Peace

[EX500rider]

6. Actually no, any country that doesn't have a UN resolution against missile tests can launch missiles

But the UN decided the world would be safer if N Korea didn't.

Are you against non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and delivery systems?
Seems a strange choice for a "Veterans for Peace"

[FairWinds]

7. Were you equally in favor of the UN . .

when it opposed the Iraq war in 2003? I doubt it.

And the US had a working deal in place in which North Korea
would not get nukes . .

But the GOP blew it up - insane.

[EX500rider]

8. Please, N Korea never stopped working on nuclear weapons.

North Korea was pursuing both uranium enrichment technology and plutonium reprocessing technologies in defiance of the Agreed Framework.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

[hollowdweller]

3. Always amazed me during the Bush admin

We were going on about Saddam having chemical weapons while NK, in my mind a way more unstable power was actually perfecting them.

Maybe they will come to Iran's aid if we attack them.