North Korean missile test, 2006
Encyclopedia
Two rounds of North Korean missile tests were conducted on July 5, 2006. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK or North Korea) reportedly fired at least seven separate missiles. These included two short-range Nodong-2
missile
s, one Scud
missile and up to two long-range Taepodong-2
missiles; the latter having been estimated by United States
intelligence agencies as having a potential range reaching as far as Alaska
in its current stage. Some, including Australia
n Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
, believed that North Korea would carry out additional missile tests in the days that followed.
North Korea made its first public acknowledgement of the tests on July 6, through its foreign ministry, describing them as "successful" and part of "regular military drills to strengthen self-defense," insisting that it had the legal right to do so. The country warned of "stronger physical actions" if it were put under pressure by the international community. On July 8, CNN
reported that the U.S. had deployed the USS Mustin
, a guided missile destroyer
, to the Japan
ese port of Yokosuka, home of the U.S. Navy's
Seventh Fleet
. A spokeswoman said that the deployment was not related to the test-firings, and it had been previously planned.
The missiles were launched from the Musudan-ri
Missile Test Facility, and all of the missiles reportedly landed in the Sea of Japan
, 500–600 kilometers west of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō
, in international waters about 100 kilometers south of the Russia
n cities of Vladivostok
and Nakhodka
. It was also reported that two missiles landed in Russian territorial waters. Only the Taepodong-2 was launched from Musudan-ri
. The Scuds and Nodongs were launched from Gitdaeryung, Anbyun, and Kangwon-do. (Also spelled as Kitdaeryung, as in the table of launch in next section)
The United States State Department has said that the Taepodong-2 missile failed in mid-air after about 42 seconds of flight and probably continued for 2 minutes in total.
The first missile was launched Wednesday, July 5 at 03:33 KST
(= July 4 18:33 UTC) and the next two at 04:04 and 05:01 local time, respectively. The first launches came minutes before the successful launch
of Space Shuttle Discovery
in Florida
(July 4, 14:37 EDT = 18:37 UTC). Some have speculated that the medium-range missile tests were used as decoys to divert attention from the Taepodong-2 missile. The range of the missile was often estimated to be 6000 km, capable of reaching as far as Alaska. However, analysts in South Korea often put the range at no more than 2,400 miles (or less than 4000 km), which, as far as U.S. interests are concerned, means the missile could reach Guam or possibly the sparsely inhabited western tip of the Aleutian Islands.
East Asian stock markets were shaken by the launches, with investors expressing concerns that moves like this could lead to a future conflict in the Southeast and East Asian areas. Crude oil prices have also risen since the missile tests.
Many experts believe that the timing, which was in the very early hours of July 5 in Korea, but midday of July 4th
in the United States when space shuttle Discovery was about to lift off, was deliberate to get attention from the United States, and possibly an attempt for one on one talks rather than the six party talks regarding North Korea's nuclear capabilities.
. They contended, according to a Chosun-Ilbo article published July 6, that instead the missile flew for seven minutes before veering from its trajectory. However, DoD officials indicated that the stable missile boost phase of 42 seconds and the subsequent tumbling out of control to impact into the Sea of Japan was only airborne for close to two minutes.
1 Reports of the 6th missile are disputed. Source: White House Press Briefing (missiles 1-6) and Japanese Defense Agency and GlobalSecurity.org report
2 Russia claims that North Korea launched 10 missiles.
said South Korean intelligence suggests more missiles may be fired, and on July 7, the Mainichi Daily News reported Japanese and U.S. officials believe a second Taepodong-2 has been delivered to the launch site. Although Kwang-ung said intelligence presumes a second Taepondong-2 had been transported to the launch pad before the first one was fired, he denied North Korea was going to test a second one. He stated South Korean intelligence still needs to confirm that the missile is still there. In addition, Japanese officials say North Korea would not launch another Taepodong because of trouble with the missile's booster. The Chosun Ilbo had reported a South Korean government official said a second missile is believed to be stored at Taepo-dong, North Hamgyong Province in an assembly building. The American television network NBC
had also reported a second Taepodong missile is in the final stages of assembly.
According to the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun
, given the trajectory and angle, the target for the Taepodong 2 missile may have been the waters around Hawaii
. However, the Sankei report is disputed by many, and the Japanese Defense Agency refused to confirm. Pentagon officials said Thursday that the brief flight of the Taepodong-2 missile made it difficult to collect useful technical data, including its intended target, its payload and whether it was a two-stage or three-stage missile. Some U.S. officials were even leaning toward the theory that it was configured as a space launch to deliver a satellite into orbit, rather than as a flight test of a ballistic missile. The Economist believes that the launch was used to prove to other countries, potential buyers of the missile (i.e. Iran
), that the technology works. This is just like the 1993 missile launch
which was used to sell Iran missiles.
The Taepodong-2 missile was first reported by Japan to have travelled 500–640 km from its launch site, Musudan-ri. However, this has been disputed first on July 7 by bloggers and later on July 10 by security experts, using simple physics calculation. They estimated that the most likely outcome is that it fell 1.4 km from the launch pad and attained a maximum altitude of 4.4 km, and that "almost certainly" it was a satellite launch at an inclination of 41 degrees or perhaps a three stage booster dummy warhead launch to impact down range in the south Pacific relative to South America. This has later been confirmed by US DoD and Japan's Defense Agency on July 30. The range is revised to be about 1.5 km from the launch site in North Korean waters.
Fox News and several major South Korean newspapers have reported three to five missiles are currently on the launchpad, though none are Taepodong missiles. When queried by Reuters
, a U.S. intelligence official confirmed that a second Taepodong-2 is not on the launchpad. North Korea has barred people from sailing into some areas off the coast until July 11, 2006. Some believe this is a sign of preparations for additional launches.
On July 20, 2006 US officials reported that one or more Iranian officials may have been present at the missile launch.
North Korea
conducted its first nuclear weapon
s test in 2006, and is widely believed to have a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons, deliverable by artillery
against South Korea
.. North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
in 2003. Recently during "Six-party talks
" North Korea agreed in principle to end its nuclear weapons program as part of a comprehensive package of measures to normalize relationships. Diplomatic
efforts at resolving the North Korean situation are complicated by the different goals and interests of the nations of the region. While none of the parties desires a North Korea with nuclear weapons, Japan
and South Korea are very concerned about North Korean counterstrikes in case of military action against North Korea. China
and South Korea are also very worried about the economic and social consequences should this situation cause the DPRK government to collapse.
Valiant Shield
was a large war game
conducted by the United States military in the Pacific Ocean
in June 2006. The exercise began on 19 June 2006 and lasted for five days, concluding on 24 June 2006. According to the Navy, Valiant Shield focused on cooperation between military branches and on the detection, tracking, and engagement of units at sea, in the air, and on land in response to a wide range of missions. The exercise involved 22,000 personnel, 280 aircraft, and thirty ships, including the supercarriers , , and . It was the largest military exercise to be conducted by the United States in Pacific waters since the Vietnam War
. The exercise marked the first of what will become biennial exercises involving different branches of the U.S. military.
Observers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy
were invited to attend, as were naval officers from Singapore, Japan
, Australia, South Korea
, Russia, Indonesia
, and Malaysia
. It was the first time observers from China had ever been sent to observe U.S. war games. The PRC sent a ten-person delegation, including one high-ranking officer each from its navy, army, and air force, as well as officials from its foreign ministry. According to USA Today
, Chinese military observers said that observing the exercises gave them a better understanding of U.S. weapons and tactics. Rear Admiral
Zhang Leiyu, leader of the delegation, called the visit to the war games near Guam "a positive step in China–U.S. military ties".
Military ties between the United States and China have not been close ever since a communist
government came to power in China. Admiral William J. Fallon
, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific, said it was "a start" that China accepted his invitation to observe the large-scale exercises. Fallon indicated before the exercises began that he expected China to reciprocate. However, neither Zhang, nor the Xinhua News
report, gave any indication that such an invitation was forthcoming.
The exercise had implications for other world events as well, including acting as a show of force to possibly deter North Korea from test-firing its new Taepodong-2
missile.
The North Korean missile test came after weeks of speculation that North Korea was poised to launch a missile, but neither their quantity nor their launch site were definitively anticipated. The U.S., Japan, and others warned North Korea prior to the incident that such a test would be construed by those nations as a provocative act. North Korea responded to such words by threatening an "annihilating" nuclear strike if the United States attacks or any other nation preemptively tried to destroy the missile before or after it launched.
The United States Northern Command
, NORAD and the Federal Aviation Administration
had, in previous days, placed restrictions on commercial and civil flight operations in the areas surrounding Vandenberg Air Force Base
, California
, and Fort Greely, Alaska
, homes of U.S. Interceptor missiles.
, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States
. Asian stocks and currencies slid along with European and United States stocks, while gold, silver, and oil rose amid news of the North Korean missiles.
No country proposed military action in response to the test fire. All calls for action have been diplomatic or economic.
repeated calls for calm and restraint from "all parties involved". He pleaded for all sides to refrain from any actions that will further complicate the situation in the Korean Peninsula.
In New York, the Chinese ambassador to the UN said North Korea's missile tests were "regrettable".
was notified of the firings on July 5 at 3:52 a.m., local time. Top Japanese officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe
and Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga
, each were notified at about the same time. By 4:50 a.m. they had met at the prime minister's official residence to discuss a Japanese response. Junichiro Koizumi entered his office at 6:30 A.M., and U.S. ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer arrived twenty minutes later for discussions.
Meanwhile, Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso
held a phone conversation with his American counterpart, Condoleezza Rice
, in which they agreed to take up the matter with the UN Security Council. Abe also later announced that Japan would bring the launch issue before the UN Security Council, and it was agreed an emergency session would be held at 1400 GMT.
A few hours following the missile launches, Japan began economic sanctions of North Korea by banning the entry of North Korean officials, ship crews, chartered flights and the only direct passenger link between the two countries, the ferry Mangyongbong-92
. Japan's agriculture minister, Shoichi Nakagawa
, announced that Japan would not provide food aid to North Korea, and that agricultural trade restrictions between the two countries would be considered.
All Japanese Self-Defense Force
branches were set on higher alert.
Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso subsequently talked about Japan's option on attacking bases in foreign soil in public, which were reported as plans for 'pre-emptive' strike and quickly denounced by South Korea and China as being belligerent.
's Foreign Ministry official representative Mikhail Kaminin, the test-launch is "an act of provocation" which will impede the Six-party talks and further "complicate situation around North Korean nuclear program". [sic]
However, President Putin has been quoted as saying that, while he was disappointed by the test firings, the North Koreans were right in their assertion that they had the legal right to perform such tests.
Small groups of South Korean citizens set fire to North Korean flags and a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
.
was briefed on the activity around 5:40 PM EDT (21:40 UTC). He spoke in the Oval Office on the tests on July 5, 2006 and stated that the tests only "isolated Korea".
Bush has said that America would continue to encourage six-party talks, rather than be drawn into one-on-one negotiations with North Korea.
Christopher Hill
, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
, is set to head to the region on Wednesday, July 5, 2006. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley
described the tests as "provocative behavior". George Bush met Stephen Hadley, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld
, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
as the tests were going on. Condoleezza Rice had spoken via phone with four of her counterparts in the six-party talks, including Taro Aso, as mentioned earlier. Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley later met South Korea's national security advisor to discuss the launch.
NORAD
was put on heightened alert in the past two weeks and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency
told CNN that two missiles for interception of ballistic missiles were activated in California prior to North Korea's launch.
scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday, July 5, 2006
. The council members agreed that they should do something about the missile test and that they should meet again later to discuss the possibility of issuing a Council resolution.
Japan, with the support of the United States and the United Kingdom, introduced a measure that would have restricted countries from transferring funds, material, or technology to North Korea. Russia and China, with veto power, resisted the resolution, saying a press statement should be issued. In an informal media conference, Russian UN ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin
stated that, rather than sanctions, it may be more appropriate for the President of the United Nations Security Council to issue a condemning statement similar to what was done after the North Korean missile firing in 1998.
's foreign ministry issued a communique expressing its "serious concern over the missile test launches" and urging the North Korean state to "renew diplomatic dialogue and return to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty
."
The Argentine ambassador to the UN, and its representative in the UN Security Council, César Mayoral
, considered that the missile tests are "threatening world peace and security". The Argentine government has expressed, however, its reluctance to the possibility of imposing economic sanctions, emphasizing instead its desire to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
said: "These tests are provocative, and only serve to raise tensions in the region."
The current EU president, Finland, condemned the 'provocative' missile test. According to it the test places additional strains on the regional stability 'at a time when the unresolved nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula requires mutual confidence building'.
's Prime Minister
John Howard
called the test "extremely provocative" and also stated "I hope that what North Korea has done is condemned as provocative not only by Australia and Japan but also by other countries in the six-power group."
Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer
expressed his displeasure to the North Korean Ambassador to Australia, Chon Jae Hong. Australia cancelled a planned diplomatic visit to North Korea amid the news.
Minister Peter MacKay
added Canada
's voice to the world condemnation on Wednesday, calling the launches a "major threat" to stability in the region that undermine efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
MacKay chided Pyongyang for its use of brinkmanship
in dealing with the international community.
"Canada believes that such tactics are counterproductive and ultimately destined to fail," he said in a news release posted on the Foreign Affairs Department's website. "Such actions can only diminish North Korea's security, not enhance it."
Hungary definitely condemns the missile experiments carried out by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea on the 4th of July. In our view, this step gravely endangers the stability and the security of the region. We find it an especially unfortunate development that the experiment was carried out in spite of the repeated warning of the international community. North Korea’s step jeopardises the renewal of the six-nation talks set up to solve the North Korean nuclear question.
Hungary finds it necessary for the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea to terminate its activity aimed at the development of long-range missiles, to respect the self-imposed moratorium on missile experiments and to return to the six-nation talks as a constructive partner as soon as possible.
expressed his country's "deep concern" over the tests and urged all parties to show restraint and resume negotiations.
urged the United Nations
to bring its full weight to bear on North Korea after it announced it had conducted the underground nuclear test. Clark condemned the test, Clark also said "it will back whatever measures the U.N. Security Council decides on".
Winston Peters
, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, condemned North Korea's missile tests on behalf of his government, describing them as showing "wanton disregard" for the warnings issued beforehand by the international community. He expressed his hope that North Korea would "step back now from taking any more rash steps" and resume negotiations.
condemned the tests as "highly regrettable" and stated his belief that they further escalate regional tension. He affirmed that Norway continues, "to be deeply worried over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme." http://www.odin.dep.no/ud/english/news/news/032171-070831/dok-bn.html
condemned the tests, saying that the "world has had enough of weapons of mass destruction.", urging the reclusive state to resume six-party talks at once.
In addition, Philippine military and defense officials have said a potential North Korean missile attack against Philippine soil cannot be intercepted, calling for the swift modernization of the Philippine military.
to return to six-party talks at once.
articulated the regret of the Swedish government and noted that the DPRK ambassador in Stockholm had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry to hear Sweden's "concern over the missile tests and the risk of a nuclear arms race in East Asia."
's Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon
expressed concern Wednesday over North Korea's long-range missile test, warning the move will lead to regional distrust and threaten world peace, and he plans to raise the issue with his US counterpart early next week. Mr Kantathi urged the communist country to return to the six-party talks. Thailand has been playing an informal role in the talk to push for the progress of the negotiations among the principal parties — North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
(DPRK or North Korea) reportedly fired at least seven separate missiles. These included two short-range Nodong-2
Nodong-2
Rodong-2 is a single stage, mobile liquid propellant medium range ballistic missile developed by North Korea....
missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s, one Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
missile and up to two long-range Taepodong-2
Taepodong-2
The Taepodong-2 is a designation used to indicate a North Korean two or three-stage ballistic missile design that is the successor to the Taepodong-1.-Details:...
missiles; the latter having been estimated by United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
intelligence agencies as having a potential range reaching as far as Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in its current stage. Some, including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
, believed that North Korea would carry out additional missile tests in the days that followed.
North Korea made its first public acknowledgement of the tests on July 6, through its foreign ministry, describing them as "successful" and part of "regular military drills to strengthen self-defense," insisting that it had the legal right to do so. The country warned of "stronger physical actions" if it were put under pressure by the international community. On July 8, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reported that the U.S. had deployed the USS Mustin
USS Mustin (DDG-89)
The USS Mustin is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named in honor of the Mustin family. Mustin was the first Burke destroyer built with her funnels submerged into the superstructure, an additional stealth measure taken on the warships...
, a guided missile destroyer
Guided missile destroyer
A guided missile destroyer is a destroyer designed to launch guided missiles. Many are also equipped to carry out anti-submarine, anti-air, and anti-surface operations. In the U.S...
, to the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese port of Yokosuka, home of the U.S. Navy's
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Seventh Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
. A spokeswoman said that the deployment was not related to the test-firings, and it had been previously planned.
Overview
Musudan-ri
The Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, also known as Musudan-ri, is a rocket launching site in North Korea. It lies in southern North Hamgyong province, near the northern tip of the East Korea Bay...
Missile Test Facility, and all of the missiles reportedly landed in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
, 500–600 kilometers west of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, in international waters about 100 kilometers south of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n cities of Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
and Nakhodka
Nakhodka
Nakhodka is a port city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, situated on the Trudny Peninsula jutting into the Nakhodka Bay of the Sea of Japan, about east of Vladivostok...
. It was also reported that two missiles landed in Russian territorial waters. Only the Taepodong-2 was launched from Musudan-ri
Musudan-ri
The Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, also known as Musudan-ri, is a rocket launching site in North Korea. It lies in southern North Hamgyong province, near the northern tip of the East Korea Bay...
. The Scuds and Nodongs were launched from Gitdaeryung, Anbyun, and Kangwon-do. (Also spelled as Kitdaeryung, as in the table of launch in next section)
The United States State Department has said that the Taepodong-2 missile failed in mid-air after about 42 seconds of flight and probably continued for 2 minutes in total.
The first missile was launched Wednesday, July 5 at 03:33 KST
Korea Standard Time
Korea Standard Time is the standard time zone in North and South Korea and is 9 hours ahead of UTC : i.e., when it is midnight UTC, it is 9 am Korea Standard Time. Korea does not currently observe daylight saving time but has experimented with it in the past...
(= July 4 18:33 UTC) and the next two at 04:04 and 05:01 local time, respectively. The first launches came minutes before the successful launch
STS-121
STS-121 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster of February 2003 as well as to deliver supplies, equipment and...
of Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(July 4, 14:37 EDT = 18:37 UTC). Some have speculated that the medium-range missile tests were used as decoys to divert attention from the Taepodong-2 missile. The range of the missile was often estimated to be 6000 km, capable of reaching as far as Alaska. However, analysts in South Korea often put the range at no more than 2,400 miles (or less than 4000 km), which, as far as U.S. interests are concerned, means the missile could reach Guam or possibly the sparsely inhabited western tip of the Aleutian Islands.
East Asian stock markets were shaken by the launches, with investors expressing concerns that moves like this could lead to a future conflict in the Southeast and East Asian areas. Crude oil prices have also risen since the missile tests.
Many experts believe that the timing, which was in the very early hours of July 5 in Korea, but midday of July 4th
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
in the United States when space shuttle Discovery was about to lift off, was deliberate to get attention from the United States, and possibly an attempt for one on one talks rather than the six party talks regarding North Korea's nuclear capabilities.
Details
The table below shows the time for all the seven missiles launched. Of particular interest is the 4th launch, a Taepodong-2 rocket. Reports that the missile flew for only 42 seconds were contradicted by a confidential report by South Korea's National Intelligence ServiceNational Intelligence Service (South Korea)
The National Intelligence Service is the chief intelligence agency of South Korea. The agency was officially established in 1961 as the Korea Central Intelligence Agency , during the rule of President Park Chung-hee's military Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, which displaced the...
. They contended, according to a Chosun-Ilbo article published July 6, that instead the missile flew for seven minutes before veering from its trajectory. However, DoD officials indicated that the stable missile boost phase of 42 seconds and the subsequent tumbling out of control to impact into the Sea of Japan was only airborne for close to two minutes.
| # | Launch time (5 July, Korean local time = UTC+9 UTC+9 UTC+09:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +09. This time is used in:-As standard time :*East Timor*Indonesia **Moluccas**Papua and West Papua *Japan - Japan Standard Time*North Korea... h) | Launch site | Type | Impact time (in minutes) | Impact site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 03:23/03:33 (= July 4 18:33 UTC) |
Kittaeryong | Scud-C | Sea of Japan | |
| 2 | 04:04 | Kittaeryong | Nodong-A | Sea of Japan | |
| 3 | 04:59 | Kittaeryong | Scud-C or Nodong-A | 07:17 | Sea of Japan |
| 4 | 05:01 | Taepodong/Musudan-ri (40.8471°N 129.6285°E) |
Taepodong-2 | Failed after 42 seconds |
Sea of Japan |
| 5 | 07:12 | Kittaeryong | Nodong-A | 07:36 | Sea of Japan |
| 61 | 08:20 | Kittaeryong | Scud-C/Nodong-A | Sea of Japan | |
| 7 | 08:22 | Kittaeryong | Nodong or Scud | 17:28 | Sea of Japan |
1 Reports of the 6th missile are disputed. Source: White House Press Briefing (missiles 1-6) and Japanese Defense Agency and GlobalSecurity.org report
2 Russia claims that North Korea launched 10 missiles.
Possibility of further launches
It has been reported that North Korea plans to test further missiles. On July 6, according to Yonhap News, South Korean defense minister Yoon Kwang-ungYoon Kwang-ung
Yoon Kwang-ung is a former South Korean Minister of National Defense. He held the 39th to hold the post, which he entered in July 2004 after being appointed by president Roh Moo-hyun. He graduated from Busan Commercial High School in 1961 and from the ROK Naval Academy in 1966...
said South Korean intelligence suggests more missiles may be fired, and on July 7, the Mainichi Daily News reported Japanese and U.S. officials believe a second Taepodong-2 has been delivered to the launch site. Although Kwang-ung said intelligence presumes a second Taepondong-2 had been transported to the launch pad before the first one was fired, he denied North Korea was going to test a second one. He stated South Korean intelligence still needs to confirm that the missile is still there. In addition, Japanese officials say North Korea would not launch another Taepodong because of trouble with the missile's booster. The Chosun Ilbo had reported a South Korean government official said a second missile is believed to be stored at Taepo-dong, North Hamgyong Province in an assembly building. The American television network NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
had also reported a second Taepodong missile is in the final stages of assembly.
According to the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun
Sankei Shimbun
is a daily newspaper in Japan published by the . It has the sixth highest circulation for a newspaper in Japan, and is considered as one of the five "national" newspapers...
, given the trajectory and angle, the target for the Taepodong 2 missile may have been the waters around Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. However, the Sankei report is disputed by many, and the Japanese Defense Agency refused to confirm. Pentagon officials said Thursday that the brief flight of the Taepodong-2 missile made it difficult to collect useful technical data, including its intended target, its payload and whether it was a two-stage or three-stage missile. Some U.S. officials were even leaning toward the theory that it was configured as a space launch to deliver a satellite into orbit, rather than as a flight test of a ballistic missile. The Economist believes that the launch was used to prove to other countries, potential buyers of the missile (i.e. Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
), that the technology works. This is just like the 1993 missile launch
North Korean missile test, 1993
A North Korean missile test occurred on May 29 and 30, 1993. North Korea fired a Nodong-1 missile into the Sea of Japan , from a base in Hwadae County near Wonsan, North Korea. The target was a buoy floating in the Sea of Japan. The North Koreans were testing the missile so they could export it to...
which was used to sell Iran missiles.
The Taepodong-2 missile was first reported by Japan to have travelled 500–640 km from its launch site, Musudan-ri. However, this has been disputed first on July 7 by bloggers and later on July 10 by security experts, using simple physics calculation. They estimated that the most likely outcome is that it fell 1.4 km from the launch pad and attained a maximum altitude of 4.4 km, and that "almost certainly" it was a satellite launch at an inclination of 41 degrees or perhaps a three stage booster dummy warhead launch to impact down range in the south Pacific relative to South America. This has later been confirmed by US DoD and Japan's Defense Agency on July 30. The range is revised to be about 1.5 km from the launch site in North Korean waters.
Fox News and several major South Korean newspapers have reported three to five missiles are currently on the launchpad, though none are Taepodong missiles. When queried by Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, a U.S. intelligence official confirmed that a second Taepodong-2 is not on the launchpad. North Korea has barred people from sailing into some areas off the coast until July 11, 2006. Some believe this is a sign of preparations for additional launches.
On July 20, 2006 US officials reported that one or more Iranian officials may have been present at the missile launch.
Background
- See also U.S.-North Korea relations, North Korea and weapons of mass destructionNorth Korea and weapons of mass destructionNorth Korea has declared that it has nuclear weapons and is believed by many to have nuclear weapons. The CIA assesses that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons...
, Valiant ShieldValiant ShieldValiant Shield was a large United States military war game held 19-24 June 2006 in the Pacific Ocean. According to the Navy, Valiant Shield focused on cooperation between military branches and on the detection, tracking, and engagement of units at sea, in the air, and on land in response to a wide...
North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
conducted its first nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s test in 2006, and is widely believed to have a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons, deliverable by artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
against South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.. North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
in 2003. Recently during "Six-party talks
Six-party talks
The six-party talks aim to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.There has been a series of meetings with six participating states:* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea ;...
" North Korea agreed in principle to end its nuclear weapons program as part of a comprehensive package of measures to normalize relationships. Diplomatic
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
efforts at resolving the North Korean situation are complicated by the different goals and interests of the nations of the region. While none of the parties desires a North Korea with nuclear weapons, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and South Korea are very concerned about North Korean counterstrikes in case of military action against North Korea. China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and South Korea are also very worried about the economic and social consequences should this situation cause the DPRK government to collapse.
- On January 10, 2003, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyNuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyThe Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
.
- In late January 2003, Japan Defense AgencyJapan Defense AgencyThe is a cabinet-level ministry of the Japanese government. As a result of a law enacted on December 15, 2006, it became a ministry on January 9, 2007. Prior to that, it was the Japan Defense Agency ...
Director Shigeru IshibaShigeru IshibaShigeru Ishiba is a Japanese politician. He was Minister of Defense under Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda from 2007 to 2008 and was also Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries....
told reporters that if North Korea "begins preparations to attack Japan, for instance by fueling its missiles, we will consider the DPRK is initiating a military attack" and pre-emptively strike missile bases in DPRK.
- On April 24, 2003, the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and North Korea met in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
for trilateral discussions. The United States threatened sanctionInternational sanctionsInternational sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
s against North Korea, which North Korea has said would constitute a "declaration of warDeclaration of warA declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
".
- On May 12, 2003, North Korea declared the 1992 accord with its southern neighbour nullified, which agreed to keep the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons, citing U.S. hostility as a threat to its sovereignty. South Korea considers the accord in effect.
- On August 28, 2003, North Korea announced at six-nation talks in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
that it was prepared to "declare itself formally as a nuclear weapons state", and claimed to have the means to deliver nuclear weapons. The North Korean delegation also says the country will soon be carrying out a nuclear test to demonstrate its nuclear capability.
- DPRK announced on February 10, 2005 that it had developed nuclear weaponNuclear weaponA nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s for its self-defense, and suspended participation in the Six-party talks.
- On September 19, 2005, Six-party talks resulted in an agreement where North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program for economic cooperation and assistance, repeating its right to "peaceful uses of nuclear energy", while the U.S. recognized North Korea's sovereignty and stated that it had no intention to attack. The provision of a nuclear light-water reactor would be discussed at "an appropriate time"; the U.S. and North Korea immediately disagreed on when that should be.
- On January 17, 2006, IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
tested a North Korean designed Nodong-B missile.
- In April 2006, North Korea offered to resume talks if the US releases recently frozen North Korean financial assets held in a bank in MacauMacauMacau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. The funds were acquired through the sale of drugs and counterfeit U.S. currency.
- In mid-June 2006, North Korea began fueling some of the Taepodong-2Taepodong-2The Taepodong-2 is a designation used to indicate a North Korean two or three-stage ballistic missile design that is the successor to the Taepodong-1.-Details:...
missiles that it possesses.
- On June 14, 2006, the US Air Force conducts a successful unarmed test launch of its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
to the Marshall IslandsMarshall IslandsThe Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, flying approximately 7,700 kilometers in about 30 minutes.
- June 23, 2006 — the US and Japan signed an agreement to jointly produce anti-ballistic missileAnti-ballistic missileAn anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
(ABM) technology and operate surveillance and tracking operations to gather critical data in the case that the DPRK conducted a ballistic missile test. The US agreed to send several batteries of PatriotMIM-104 PatriotThe MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...
PAC-3 missiles to protect Okinawa. http://www.strategypage.com/onpoint/articles/200675115554.asp
- June 30, 2006 — Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro KoizumiJunichiro Koizumiis a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
visit GracelandGracelandGraceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
after two days of political talks aimed at cementing relations between Japan and the US.
- July 4, 2006 — Space Shuttle DiscoverySpace Shuttle DiscoverySpace Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
mission STS-121STS-121STS-121 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster of February 2003 as well as to deliver supplies, equipment and...
launches, in what some North Korea watchers say is no coincidenceCoincidenceA coincidence is an event notable for its occurring in conjunction with other conditions, e.g. another event. As such, a coincidence occurs when something uncanny, accidental and unexpected happens under conditions named, but not under a defined relationship...
. http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200607/200607050024.html. The United States also celebrates its 230th birthdayIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
.
Valiant Shield
Valiant Shield
Valiant Shield was a large United States military war game held 19-24 June 2006 in the Pacific Ocean. According to the Navy, Valiant Shield focused on cooperation between military branches and on the detection, tracking, and engagement of units at sea, in the air, and on land in response to a wide...
was a large war game
Military exercise
A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat...
conducted by the United States military in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in June 2006. The exercise began on 19 June 2006 and lasted for five days, concluding on 24 June 2006. According to the Navy, Valiant Shield focused on cooperation between military branches and on the detection, tracking, and engagement of units at sea, in the air, and on land in response to a wide range of missions. The exercise involved 22,000 personnel, 280 aircraft, and thirty ships, including the supercarriers , , and . It was the largest military exercise to be conducted by the United States in Pacific waters since the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The exercise marked the first of what will become biennial exercises involving different branches of the U.S. military.
Observers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army , the military of the People's Republic of China. Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then, it has undergone rapid modernisation...
were invited to attend, as were naval officers from Singapore, Japan
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
, Australia, South Korea
Military of South Korea
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea...
, Russia, Indonesia
Military of Indonesia
The Indonesian National Armed Forces in 2009 comprises approximately 432,129 personnel including the Army , Navy including the Indonesian Marine Corps and the Air Force ....
, and Malaysia
Military of Malaysia
The Malaysian Armed Forces , the military of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Royal Malaysian Navy , the Malaysian Army and the Royal Malaysian Air Force...
. It was the first time observers from China had ever been sent to observe U.S. war games. The PRC sent a ten-person delegation, including one high-ranking officer each from its navy, army, and air force, as well as officials from its foreign ministry. According to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Chinese military observers said that observing the exercises gave them a better understanding of U.S. weapons and tactics. Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Zhang Leiyu, leader of the delegation, called the visit to the war games near Guam "a positive step in China–U.S. military ties".
Military ties between the United States and China have not been close ever since a communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
government came to power in China. Admiral William J. Fallon
William J. Fallon
William Joseph Fallon is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who retired after serving for over 41 years. His last military assignment was as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM Fallon was the first Navy officer to hold that position. His other four-star...
, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific, said it was "a start" that China accepted his invitation to observe the large-scale exercises. Fallon indicated before the exercises began that he expected China to reciprocate. However, neither Zhang, nor the Xinhua News
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
report, gave any indication that such an invitation was forthcoming.
The exercise had implications for other world events as well, including acting as a show of force to possibly deter North Korea from test-firing its new Taepodong-2
Taepodong-2
The Taepodong-2 is a designation used to indicate a North Korean two or three-stage ballistic missile design that is the successor to the Taepodong-1.-Details:...
missile.
The North Korean missile test came after weeks of speculation that North Korea was poised to launch a missile, but neither their quantity nor their launch site were definitively anticipated. The U.S., Japan, and others warned North Korea prior to the incident that such a test would be construed by those nations as a provocative act. North Korea responded to such words by threatening an "annihilating" nuclear strike if the United States attacks or any other nation preemptively tried to destroy the missile before or after it launched.
The United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States military. Created on 1 October 2002 in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, its mission is to protect the United States homeland and support local, state, and federal authorities...
, NORAD and the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
had, in previous days, placed restrictions on commercial and civil flight operations in the areas surrounding Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Fort Greely, Alaska
Fort Greely
Fort Greely is a United States Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles located approximately 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. It is also the home of the Cold Regions Test Center , as Fort Greely is one of the coldest areas in Alaska, and can accommodate cold, extreme cold, or...
, homes of U.S. Interceptor missiles.
International response
The test came on the heels of the Six-party talks between North Korea, ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Asian stocks and currencies slid along with European and United States stocks, while gold, silver, and oil rose amid news of the North Korean missiles.
No country proposed military action in response to the test fire. All calls for action have been diplomatic or economic.
China
On July 5, 2006, the Foreign Ministry of China expressed concern over the North Korean missile tests. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu JianchaoLiu Jianchao
Liu Jianchao is the current Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Philippines. He was formerly the chief spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the former director-general of its Information Department.-Biography:...
repeated calls for calm and restraint from "all parties involved". He pleaded for all sides to refrain from any actions that will further complicate the situation in the Korean Peninsula.
In New York, the Chinese ambassador to the UN said North Korea's missile tests were "regrettable".
Japan
Prime Minister Junichiro KoizumiJunichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
was notified of the firings on July 5 at 3:52 a.m., local time. Top Japanese officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe
was the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007...
and Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga
Fukushiro Nukaga
is a Japanese politician and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1983 and represents Ibaraki's 2nd district. He was Minister of Finance from 2007 to 2008....
, each were notified at about the same time. By 4:50 a.m. they had met at the prime minister's official residence to discuss a Japanese response. Junichiro Koizumi entered his office at 6:30 A.M., and U.S. ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer arrived twenty minutes later for discussions.
Meanwhile, Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso
Taro Aso
was the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan serving from September 2008 to September 2009, and was defeated in the August 2009 election.He has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the LDP briefly in 2007 and...
held a phone conversation with his American counterpart, Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, in which they agreed to take up the matter with the UN Security Council. Abe also later announced that Japan would bring the launch issue before the UN Security Council, and it was agreed an emergency session would be held at 1400 GMT.
A few hours following the missile launches, Japan began economic sanctions of North Korea by banning the entry of North Korean officials, ship crews, chartered flights and the only direct passenger link between the two countries, the ferry Mangyongbong-92
Mangyongbong-92
The Mangyongbong-92, named after a hill near Pyongyang, is a passenger ferry built in 1992 to celebrate the North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung's 80th birthday. The ferry was built with funds from Chongryon, the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.The ferry makes 20 to 30...
. Japan's agriculture minister, Shoichi Nakagawa
Shoichi Nakagawa
was a Japanese conservative politician in the Liberal Democratic Party , who served as Minister of Finance from September 24, 2008 to February 17, 2009. He previously held the posts of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the cabinet of...
, announced that Japan would not provide food aid to North Korea, and that agricultural trade restrictions between the two countries would be considered.
All Japanese Self-Defense Force
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
branches were set on higher alert.
Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso subsequently talked about Japan's option on attacking bases in foreign soil in public, which were reported as plans for 'pre-emptive' strike and quickly denounced by South Korea and China as being belligerent.
Russia
According to RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's Foreign Ministry official representative Mikhail Kaminin, the test-launch is "an act of provocation" which will impede the Six-party talks and further "complicate situation around North Korean nuclear program". [sic]
However, President Putin has been quoted as saying that, while he was disappointed by the test firings, the North Koreans were right in their assertion that they had the legal right to perform such tests.
South Korea
Unification Minister Lee Jong-Seok convened an emergency meeting to determine the objective of the missile launch, which is expected to prompt the U.S. and its allies to take punitive actions such as harsher economic sanctions against North Korea, ministry officials said. However, on July 17, 2006, Chosunilbo reported that unless further tests are conducted, government is not planning any measures as all of its economic support are within the sanction passed by U.N.Small groups of South Korean citizens set fire to North Korean flags and a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
.
United States
President BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was briefed on the activity around 5:40 PM EDT (21:40 UTC). He spoke in the Oval Office on the tests on July 5, 2006 and stated that the tests only "isolated Korea".
Bush has said that America would continue to encourage six-party talks, rather than be drawn into one-on-one negotiations with North Korea.
Christopher Hill
Christopher R. Hill
Christopher Robert Hill is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.On July 1, 2010, Hill was chosen to be the dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver...
, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary guides operation of the U.S...
, is set to head to the region on Wednesday, July 5, 2006. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley
Stephen Hadley
Stephen John Hadley was the 21st U.S. Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs , serving under President George W. Bush....
described the tests as "provocative behavior". George Bush met Stephen Hadley, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
as the tests were going on. Condoleezza Rice had spoken via phone with four of her counterparts in the six-party talks, including Taro Aso, as mentioned earlier. Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley later met South Korea's national security advisor to discuss the launch.
NORAD
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
was put on heightened alert in the past two weeks and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency
Missile Defense Agency
The Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...
told CNN that two missiles for interception of ballistic missiles were activated in California prior to North Korea's launch.
UN Security Council
The U.N. Security CouncilUnited Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday, July 5, 2006
. The council members agreed that they should do something about the missile test and that they should meet again later to discuss the possibility of issuing a Council resolution.
Japan, with the support of the United States and the United Kingdom, introduced a measure that would have restricted countries from transferring funds, material, or technology to North Korea. Russia and China, with veto power, resisted the resolution, saying a press statement should be issued. In an informal media conference, Russian UN ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin
Vitaly I. Churkin
Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin is the current Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. He replaced Andrey I...
stated that, rather than sanctions, it may be more appropriate for the President of the United Nations Security Council to issue a condemning statement similar to what was done after the North Korean missile firing in 1998.
Argentina
ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's foreign ministry issued a communique expressing its "serious concern over the missile test launches" and urging the North Korean state to "renew diplomatic dialogue and return to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
."
The Argentine ambassador to the UN, and its representative in the UN Security Council, César Mayoral
César Mayoral
César Fernando Mayoral, born December 21, 1947, is the current Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations. He became the Permanent Representative in December 2003 and presented his credentials to the United Nations Secretary-General on January 16, 2004.Between 2000 and 2003,...
, considered that the missile tests are "threatening world peace and security". The Argentine government has expressed, however, its reluctance to the possibility of imposing economic sanctions, emphasizing instead its desire to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
United Kingdom and the European Union
The UK branded North Korea's actions "irresponsible". Foreign Secretary Margaret BeckettMargaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
said: "These tests are provocative, and only serve to raise tensions in the region."
The current EU president, Finland, condemned the 'provocative' missile test. According to it the test places additional strains on the regional stability 'at a time when the unresolved nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula requires mutual confidence building'.
Australia
AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
called the test "extremely provocative" and also stated "I hope that what North Korea has done is condemned as provocative not only by Australia and Japan but also by other countries in the six-power group."
Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
expressed his displeasure to the North Korean Ambassador to Australia, Chon Jae Hong. Australia cancelled a planned diplomatic visit to North Korea amid the news.
Canada
Foreign AffairsMinister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada....
Minister Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
added Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's voice to the world condemnation on Wednesday, calling the launches a "major threat" to stability in the region that undermine efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
MacKay chided Pyongyang for its use of brinkmanship
Brinkmanship
Brinkmanship is the practice of pushing dangerous events to the verge of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome...
in dealing with the international community.
"Canada believes that such tactics are counterproductive and ultimately destined to fail," he said in a news release posted on the Foreign Affairs Department's website. "Such actions can only diminish North Korea's security, not enhance it."
Czech Republic
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep concern" over the tests, describing them as a "serious threat to the international community." It called on North Korea to return to the six-party Talks.Hungary
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary issued this statement on 5 July 2006:Hungary definitely condemns the missile experiments carried out by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea on the 4th of July. In our view, this step gravely endangers the stability and the security of the region. We find it an especially unfortunate development that the experiment was carried out in spite of the repeated warning of the international community. North Korea’s step jeopardises the renewal of the six-nation talks set up to solve the North Korean nuclear question.
Hungary finds it necessary for the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea to terminate its activity aimed at the development of long-range missiles, to respect the self-imposed moratorium on missile experiments and to return to the six-nation talks as a constructive partner as soon as possible.
Malaysia
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid AlbarSyed Hamid Albar
Tan Sri Syed Hamid bin Syed Jaafar Albar , is a Malaysian politician and the former Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs. He is currently the chairman of the Land Public Transport Commission. He is also a member of the United Malays National Organisation , part of the ruling Barisan Nasional...
expressed his country's "deep concern" over the tests and urged all parties to show restraint and resume negotiations.
New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen ClarkHelen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
urged the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to bring its full weight to bear on North Korea after it announced it had conducted the underground nuclear test. Clark condemned the test, Clark also said "it will back whatever measures the U.N. Security Council decides on".
Winston Peters
Winston Peters
Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician and leader of New Zealand First, a political party he founded in 1993. Peters has had a turbulent political career since entering Parliament in 1978. He served as Minister of Maori Affairs in the Bolger National Party Government before being...
, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, condemned North Korea's missile tests on behalf of his government, describing them as showing "wanton disregard" for the warnings issued beforehand by the international community. He expressed his hope that North Korea would "step back now from taking any more rash steps" and resume negotiations.
Norway
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr StøreJonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre is the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having been appointed to Jens Stoltenberg's second cabinet on 17 October 2005. He represents the Norwegian Labour Party.-Personal life:...
condemned the tests as "highly regrettable" and stated his belief that they further escalate regional tension. He affirmed that Norway continues, "to be deeply worried over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme." http://www.odin.dep.no/ud/english/news/news/032171-070831/dok-bn.html
Philippines
President Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
condemned the tests, saying that the "world has had enough of weapons of mass destruction.", urging the reclusive state to resume six-party talks at once.
In addition, Philippine military and defense officials have said a potential North Korean missile attack against Philippine soil cannot be intercepted, calling for the swift modernization of the Philippine military.
Singapore
Singaporean representatives, through the foreign ministry, sharply rebuked North Korean officials for launching the missiles, calling it a "provocative move". It warned that any future moves similar to what happened a few days ago will only lead to trouble in the Asian region instead of stability and called on Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
to return to six-party talks at once.
Sweden
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan EliassonJan Eliasson
Jan Kenneth Eliasson is a Swedish diplomat and Social Democratic politician.- Biography :Jan Eliasson was born in a working-class family in Gothenburg. He was an AFS exchange student in Indiana, United States, from 1957 to 1958 and was commissioned reserve officer after military training at the...
articulated the regret of the Swedish government and noted that the DPRK ambassador in Stockholm had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry to hear Sweden's "concern over the missile tests and the risk of a nuclear arms race in East Asia."
Thailand
ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
's Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon
Kantathi Suphamongkhon
Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon is the 39th Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. He served as Foreign Minister during the administration of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from 11 March 2005 until the military coup d'état on 19 September 2006.Suphamongkhon is now the University of...
expressed concern Wednesday over North Korea's long-range missile test, warning the move will lead to regional distrust and threaten world peace, and he plans to raise the issue with his US counterpart early next week. Mr Kantathi urged the communist country to return to the six-party talks. Thailand has been playing an informal role in the talk to push for the progress of the negotiations among the principal parties — North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States.
See also
- Timeline of North Korean missile testsNorth Korean missile testsThere have been a number of North Korean missile tests. It has also fired a number of short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan , apparently as political gestures.* 2009 North Korean missile test...
- Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2In this regard, a delegation of fifteen strong Iranian rocket scientists, including senior officials with Iranian rocket and satellite producer Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, has been in the DPRK since the beginning of March, to help prepare for the launch...
— 2009 rocket launch - 2009 North Korean missile test2009 North Korean missile testTwo rounds of North Korean missile tests were conducted in July 2009. On July 4, 2009, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched seven short range missiles into the Sea of Japan , after previously launching four missiles two days earlier...
- (July 2–5, 2009) - 1998 North Korean missile test — (August 31, 1998) — Taepodong-1Taepodong-1Taepodong-1 is a two-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile developed in North Korea, and the weapon is currently in use there. The missile was derived originally from the Scud rocket, and can allegedly serve as both a nuclear delivery system and a space launch vehicle...
- 1993 North Korean missile test — (May 29/30, 1993) — Nodong-1Nodong-1The Rodong-1 is a single stage, mobile liquid propellant medium range ballistic missile developed by North Korea...
- Locations of July 5 missile tests
Further reading
- Chronology of North Korea Missile Program
- GlobalSecurity.org Report on North Korea Missile/Rocket Tests, CP Vick
- GlobalSecurity.org Report on North Korea Missile/Rocket Tests, CP Vick
- MIT Policy and Technology lecture on missile defense and how to apply it to estimate the range of the North Korea rocket launch