N.Korean Launch Pad

N.Korean Launch Pad 'Ready for Missile Test'

english.chosun.com

North Korea has finished preparatory work at a missile launch pad in Tongchangri, North Pyongan Province, where a long-range missile has been transported, a South Korean government source said Monday. "But the launch is not imminent because no radar has been set up and no missile has been installed at the launch pad," the source added.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 16-6-2009 by lpowell0627]

OK...so the launch is not imminent? Let me guess....this is a "pretend" set-up and NK has no intention of following through? Doubtful. I believe we have surpassed the benchmark for saber-rattling.


english.chosun.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 16/6/2009 by Mirthful Me]

Ugh. This is all done for internal politics. They make a big show of their tests to impress the masses and prevent themselves from being irrelevant on the international stage. As much as some people would like to think this is a real threat it's not. It's a LONG road from testing some stuff to getting it mounted on a missile and successfully launching it at a target. A very long way.

reply to post by jtma508


NK does not need to be that accurate in hitting a target in order to wipe out scores of people. South Korea and Japan are pretty large targets. And to think that North Korea can't hit land is ridiculous.

How many people would potentially have to die to consider it an actual threat?

Just curious if anyone knows the answer to this:

Does NK have to go through this process everytime they launch a missile? If so, everyone gets a very advanced warning that they will launch.

reply to post by tamusan


You can start by reading here i do not mean to take over thread but i have outlining the chronological moves on this event.

reply to post by tamusan

Yes, you have to warn ships and planes in advance not to cross into the test area. If you don't and you hit thwm technically that is a declaration of war and the injured country has retaliation rights.

reply to post by lpowell0627


No. That's true. They could lob the thing into SK or possibly Japan and do damage IF they can successfully engineer a deliverable system. Given the scale of the nuclear devices they've tested they could easily deliver a FAR more lethal blow using chemical weapons --- which they most assuredly have. As evidenced in some of my other posts I am a huge proponent for the 'regular people' whether in SK, Japan or NK. Just becuase their government is stupid doesn't mean the people deserve to suffer.

But my argument is that this entire situation is being blown out of proportion. And lots of people could get hurt/killed more easily by some action viewed as a solution than by anything NK is likely to do.

I was more referring to a more permanent method of launching their bottle rockets. China, Russia, and the U.S., etc... have theirs ready to launch at a moments notice. The first clue that something is going on will be that something is in the air. What I am asking is if there are permanent launch sites in NK that are always at the ready or do we have the luxury of watching them prepare to attack? Or at least for the time being.

reply to post by jtma508


I personally don't think nukes will be the problem coming out of NK. However, they can certainly cause enough deaths with what means they already have -- which makes North Korea a viable threat to countless lives both within and beyond their borders.