Why the confusion? North Korea says why it test-fired missiles

[NNN0LHI]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=6849

<snip>And just what kind of explanation, if any, did Kim's regime offer for its missile-firing tests? After offering up such enticing headlines as "Japan's Savage Plunder of Cultural Properties Assailed" and "Pyongyang Builders Vow to Spruce Up Riversides of Taedong," the state-controlled news service of the misnamed Democratic People's Republic of Korea paraphrased a foreign-ministry spokesman in Pyongyang. The official noted that "in the wake of the missile launches{,}...the U.S. and some other countries following it, including Japan, are...terming {them a} 'violation' and 'provocation' and calling for 'sanctions' and 'their referral to the U.N. Security Council.'" (Not lost on the North Korean government is the fact that Washington is not calling for India, Pakistan, Israel, France or the U.S. itself to dissolve their own nuclear-arms programs.)

The most significant section of the North Korean news report offered Team Bush what could be seen as a disturbing reminder of what some might consider - or not - to have been a past diplomatic mistake. It stated: "As for the moratorium on long-range missile test-fire which agreed with the U.S. in 1999, it was valid only when the {North Korea} -U.S. dialogue was under way. The Bush administration, however, scrapped all the agreements its preceding administration {had} concluded with {North Korea} and totally scuttled the bilateral dialogue."

This tidbit of recent history has not and is not being widely reported by U.S. mainstream news media.

The North Korean news report also referred to the 2002 DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration, in which the two countries agreed to aim to set up diplomatic relations and in which Japan apologized for its past, colonial occupation of Korea. In the 2002 document, Pyongyang insists, it had expressed its "intention to extend beyond 2003 the moratorium on...missile fire in the spirit of the declaration." The North Korean news report noted: "This step was taken on the premise that Japan moved to normalize its relations with the DPRK and redeem its past. The Japanese authorities, however, have abused the DPRK's good faith. They have not honored their commitment...." (In other words, "Fire away!")

[Laughing Mirror]

1. If US withdrew our force of 30,000 in South Korea

A force that has been stationed there decades, even since before I was born, and as far as I have been able to tell, is more of a provocation than a necessity, what would happen next? Would South and North Korea reunite as East and West Germany did? Would that make US happy?

Why are we in South Korea? Why can't we leave?

[Warren Stupidity]

2. It is a good question.

South Korea has worked patiently for years to reach and engage the North. Their long term goal is a peaceful reunification of the country. Of course there is the possibility that the North would simply restart the civil war, but how realistic is that?

Obviously what we, the US, should do if we want peace in the region, is to start bilateral negotiations with North Korea to end the state of hostilities that has existed since the truce agreement, to move to normal relations with the North, including full diplomatic relations and the non-aggression pact that the North rightly insists is the basis for negotiations on the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program. What exactly would we have to lose with such a change in policy?

My prediction is that the stalinist system in the north would not survive ten years of normalized economic and political relations. I could be wrong as of course the Chinese system simply mutated from stalinist to fascist and perhaps NK would follow that path instead, but China did not have the equivalent of South Korea.

[misternormal]

3. Georgie will never allow bilateral negotiations...

... and here's why:

If the U.S. were to have bilateral negotiations with North Korea, and things went into the dumper, because we all know how * can stick his boot in his mouth, there would be no one to blame but the U.S.

At least with the "six nation" negotiations that * favors, the blame can be passed around.

* has no balls. It does not take balls to send other people's children to die, it takes balls to stand up, alone, for what one believes. * does not have the capability of doing that.

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. Since we are on the subject....

I have been wanting to ask this. Maybe someone here can give me a good explanation. Why shouldn't NK be allowed to test its missiles? Have they signed some agreement that they have broken by doing this testing? They are a sovereign country, just like India, Pakistan and USA. Why should other countries get to test and not NK? I just curious.

[NNN0LHI]

5. From the OP

>>>The North Korean news report also referred to the 2002 DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration, in which the two countries agreed to aim to set up diplomatic relations and in which Japan apologized for its past, colonial occupation of Korea. In the 2002 document, Pyongyang insists, it had expressed its "intention to extend beyond 2003 the moratorium on...missile fire in the spirit of the declaration." The North Korean news report noted: "This step was taken on the premise that Japan moved to normalize its relations with the DPRK and redeem its past. The Japanese authorities, however, have abused the DPRK's good faith. They have not honored their commitment...." (In other words, "Fire away!")<<<

[daleo]

14. There are no legal reasons NK can't test missiles

That's why nothing has went forward at the UN but bluster about this.

No law has been broken, no treaty, no international covenant.

[Pavulon]

6. So Lets fire ballistic

missiles. An act that could spark a nuclear war...

That is the biggest steaming dog pile I have see. France has a legal stockpile. Israel has no declared stock and has not signed the npt. The N. Koreans pulled out of it. They pulled out of the regional talks.

N. Korea is to blame, not japan, not the US, they pulled the wool over our eyes when we did talk with them and built them a reactor.

Lil Kim in insane. Can't negotiate with a lunatic.

[NNN0LHI]

7. What reactor did we build them? n/t

[Pavulon]

9. SINPO

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/sinpo.htm

They fucked us. Enriched anyway.

[NNN0LHI]

10. That reactor you say we built them was never built as we agreed to do

From your link:

>>>The $4.6 billion project started in 1997, and was originally planned to be completed by 2003. The reactors are now slated for completion by 2008.<<<

Sounds like someone ifs fucking somebody alright.

Don

[Pavulon]

11. After we figured

out we were getting the shaft funding was cut. This was albright, and she made the right call.

They were lying and had no intent to stop nuclear development.

It was started and work was done..

[NNN0LHI]

12. You said we built them a reactor in your post above though?

Now I don't know if I can believe anything you say on this subject.

Don

[Laughing Mirror]

8. Lil' Kim is not insane. She's a lot of fun.

[pinto]

13. I think the author hit the nail on the head here. As much as is possible,

we had N Korea on some semblance of an agreement to play by accepted world wide standards, stand to get increased economic aid, have a voice at the table and generally give Kim a little room to be his own self absorbed self without dragging the rest of the world into it. Bushco came along, labeled N Korea one of the axis of evil, walked away from the table, left South Korea hanging in the wind, and basically dropped the ball on any kind of effective involvement..a failed policy of global proportions.

[malaise]

15. My take exactly

(Not lost on the North Korean government is the fact that Washington is not calling for India, Pakistan, Israel, France or the U.S. itself to dissolve their own nuclear-arms programs.)

Either ban all nuclear arms or shut the fugg up. Every sovereign state has the right to self defence.