ID :
54018
Mon, 04/06/2009 - 07:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/54018
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea launches 'satellite,' stirring outcry from Japan, allies+
TOKYO, April 5 Kyodo - North Korea declared a success in putting a satellite into orbit Sunday but the launch suspected of being a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile test stirred outcries from Japan and its allies who will now seek action at an urgently called U.N. Security Council meeting.
Japan's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its Self-Defense Forces, which had
been on high alert since late last month preparing for the launch, did not try
to intercept the North Korean rocket that passed over Japan without causing any
clear damage in the country.
North Korea said through official state media that its communications
satellite, Kwangmyongsong-2, has successfully been put into orbit following the
launch of a three-stage carrier rocket. But the North American Aerospace
Defense Command, a Colorado-based military organization monitoring the North
Korean rocket, said later that ''no object entered orbit'' after the launch.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, the satellite entered into orbit 9
minutes and 2 seconds after the launch of the ''Unha-2'' carrier rocket at
11:20 a.m. from the Tonghae satellite launching ground on the country's east
coast.
Yet NORAD said what it called a Taepodong-2 missile passed over Japan and no
debris fell on the country, but did not make it into orbit.
Japan's communications minister, Kunio Hatoyama, said Sunday evening that the
Japanese government has no radio waves suggesting a successful satellite launch
by North Korea but stopped short of confirming whether it was actually a
satellite. Earlier in Seoul, a senior South Korean official said what was
launched was a satellite, not a missile, ''judging from the trajectory the
rocket has flown.''
On the political and diplomatic fronts, the U.S. and South Korean governments
as well as the European Union all criticized the move, while, China, North
Korea's most important ally, urged Tokyo and other countries ''to respond
calmly.''
Noting that the move is a clear violation of a U.N. Security Council Resolution
1718 banning any ballistic missile activity by Pyongyang, Japanese Prime
Minister Taro Aso told reporters in Tokyo, ''It was an extremely provocative
act and came despite repeated warnings by the world, especially the United
States.''
''Japan cannot simply overlook (such an act),'' he added.
Tokyo lodged a protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing
after the rocket launch. Top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura said Japan is
nearing a decision to extend its ongoing economic sanctions against North
Korea, due to expire April 13, from six months to one year.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone agreed in separate phone
conversations with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and South Korean
counterpart Yu Myung Hwan that the rocket launch harms regional peace and is a
breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the Japanese Foreign Ministry
said.
Clinton was quoted as saying in talks with Nakasone that Washington shares with
Tokyo the deep concerns and condemnation of North Korea's actions and
reaffirmed that it is important for Japan and the United States to take a clear
and firm stance together.
Japan asked the U.N. Security Council to convene an emergency meeting and the
council was quick to respond as it decided to hold a meeting later Sunday at
Tokyo's request for discussions for possible punishment.
The United States, Tokyo's closest ally, swiftly showed its support, with U.S.
President Barack Obama saying in a statement, ''The launch today of a
Taepodong-2 missile was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1718.''
However, it remains to be seen whether such a drive will prove successful
because China and Russia are apparently cautious about taking punitive action
against North Korea at the U.N. Security Council.
In his talks with Nakasone, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called for
Japan to ''respond calmly'' and handle the situation ''from a broad
perspective'' while showing understanding of Tokyo's concerns. Also in talks
with Nakasone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stopped short of touching
on whether it supports Japan's position.
Both China and Russia have veto-wielding power on the council, as do the other
permanent members -- the United States, Britain and France. Japan is currently
a nonpermanent member of the council.
Despite international warnings before Sunday's launch, North Korea's rhetoric
had become increasingly bellicose, defiantly saying that ''even discussion'' of
the launch by the U.N. Security Council would be viewed as a ''hostile act.''
The council's resolution 1718 was adopted in October 2006, days after North
Korea conducted an underground nuclear test it termed successful following the
test-firing of a series of missiles three months earlier, including a botched
attempt to launch a Taepodong-2. An improved Taepodong-2, the country's
longest-range missile, is thought to be capable of reaching as far as Alaska.
North Korea has also warned that attempts to have the U.N. Security Council
punish the country would lead to a collapse of the six-party talks aimed at
ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
The international disarmament talks, which group the two Koreas, Japan, the
United States, China and Russia, have been stalled since December due to
differences over ways to verify North Korea's nuclear activities.
The Defense Ministry had a busy day working on gathering information and
analyzing data on the rocket, although troops of its Self-Defense Forces faced
no need for an attempt to fire a missile at an object falling toward the
country and posing threats to people or properties.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said the first part of the rocket is estimated to
have fallen into the Sea of Japan, about 280 kilometers west of Akita
Prefecture, at 11:37 a.m. The second stage is estimated to have flown over
Japan at least to a point 2,100 km east of the country but its whereabouts has
not been confirmed. There have been no reports of casualties or damage in
Japanese territory.
In the lead-up to Sunday's launch, tensions had been mounting since Pyongyang
announced last month it would launch a satellite sometime between 11 a.m. and 4
p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday.
Pyongyang's preparations for the launch prompted Tokyo to mount an
unprecedented missile defense campaign by mobilizing SDF troops, whose use of
force is strictly limited under the country's pacifist Constitution.
Local autonomies and the public expressed relief as safety was confirmed in the
country, a day after the Japanese government caused a fuss by providing
incorrect information of a launch because a Defense Ministry radar system
detected a ''path of some object.''
The Taepodong-2 missile is believed to have a range of more than 6,000 km, but
a test launch in July 2006 apparently failed. At the time, Pyongyang fired a
total of seven missiles, including Rodong medium-range missiles that are
thought to be targeted at Japan.
In August 1998, North Korea test-fired what it claimed to be a satellite but
many considered it to be a Taepodong-1 missile with a range of 1,500 km. Part
of the rocket flew over the Japanese archipelago and landed in the Pacific
Ocean, prompting Japan to accelerate its moves to build a missile shield based
on U.S. concepts.
==Kyodo
2009-04-05 22:41:05
Japan's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its Self-Defense Forces, which had
been on high alert since late last month preparing for the launch, did not try
to intercept the North Korean rocket that passed over Japan without causing any
clear damage in the country.
North Korea said through official state media that its communications
satellite, Kwangmyongsong-2, has successfully been put into orbit following the
launch of a three-stage carrier rocket. But the North American Aerospace
Defense Command, a Colorado-based military organization monitoring the North
Korean rocket, said later that ''no object entered orbit'' after the launch.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, the satellite entered into orbit 9
minutes and 2 seconds after the launch of the ''Unha-2'' carrier rocket at
11:20 a.m. from the Tonghae satellite launching ground on the country's east
coast.
Yet NORAD said what it called a Taepodong-2 missile passed over Japan and no
debris fell on the country, but did not make it into orbit.
Japan's communications minister, Kunio Hatoyama, said Sunday evening that the
Japanese government has no radio waves suggesting a successful satellite launch
by North Korea but stopped short of confirming whether it was actually a
satellite. Earlier in Seoul, a senior South Korean official said what was
launched was a satellite, not a missile, ''judging from the trajectory the
rocket has flown.''
On the political and diplomatic fronts, the U.S. and South Korean governments
as well as the European Union all criticized the move, while, China, North
Korea's most important ally, urged Tokyo and other countries ''to respond
calmly.''
Noting that the move is a clear violation of a U.N. Security Council Resolution
1718 banning any ballistic missile activity by Pyongyang, Japanese Prime
Minister Taro Aso told reporters in Tokyo, ''It was an extremely provocative
act and came despite repeated warnings by the world, especially the United
States.''
''Japan cannot simply overlook (such an act),'' he added.
Tokyo lodged a protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing
after the rocket launch. Top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura said Japan is
nearing a decision to extend its ongoing economic sanctions against North
Korea, due to expire April 13, from six months to one year.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone agreed in separate phone
conversations with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and South Korean
counterpart Yu Myung Hwan that the rocket launch harms regional peace and is a
breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the Japanese Foreign Ministry
said.
Clinton was quoted as saying in talks with Nakasone that Washington shares with
Tokyo the deep concerns and condemnation of North Korea's actions and
reaffirmed that it is important for Japan and the United States to take a clear
and firm stance together.
Japan asked the U.N. Security Council to convene an emergency meeting and the
council was quick to respond as it decided to hold a meeting later Sunday at
Tokyo's request for discussions for possible punishment.
The United States, Tokyo's closest ally, swiftly showed its support, with U.S.
President Barack Obama saying in a statement, ''The launch today of a
Taepodong-2 missile was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1718.''
However, it remains to be seen whether such a drive will prove successful
because China and Russia are apparently cautious about taking punitive action
against North Korea at the U.N. Security Council.
In his talks with Nakasone, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called for
Japan to ''respond calmly'' and handle the situation ''from a broad
perspective'' while showing understanding of Tokyo's concerns. Also in talks
with Nakasone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stopped short of touching
on whether it supports Japan's position.
Both China and Russia have veto-wielding power on the council, as do the other
permanent members -- the United States, Britain and France. Japan is currently
a nonpermanent member of the council.
Despite international warnings before Sunday's launch, North Korea's rhetoric
had become increasingly bellicose, defiantly saying that ''even discussion'' of
the launch by the U.N. Security Council would be viewed as a ''hostile act.''
The council's resolution 1718 was adopted in October 2006, days after North
Korea conducted an underground nuclear test it termed successful following the
test-firing of a series of missiles three months earlier, including a botched
attempt to launch a Taepodong-2. An improved Taepodong-2, the country's
longest-range missile, is thought to be capable of reaching as far as Alaska.
North Korea has also warned that attempts to have the U.N. Security Council
punish the country would lead to a collapse of the six-party talks aimed at
ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
The international disarmament talks, which group the two Koreas, Japan, the
United States, China and Russia, have been stalled since December due to
differences over ways to verify North Korea's nuclear activities.
The Defense Ministry had a busy day working on gathering information and
analyzing data on the rocket, although troops of its Self-Defense Forces faced
no need for an attempt to fire a missile at an object falling toward the
country and posing threats to people or properties.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said the first part of the rocket is estimated to
have fallen into the Sea of Japan, about 280 kilometers west of Akita
Prefecture, at 11:37 a.m. The second stage is estimated to have flown over
Japan at least to a point 2,100 km east of the country but its whereabouts has
not been confirmed. There have been no reports of casualties or damage in
Japanese territory.
In the lead-up to Sunday's launch, tensions had been mounting since Pyongyang
announced last month it would launch a satellite sometime between 11 a.m. and 4
p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday.
Pyongyang's preparations for the launch prompted Tokyo to mount an
unprecedented missile defense campaign by mobilizing SDF troops, whose use of
force is strictly limited under the country's pacifist Constitution.
Local autonomies and the public expressed relief as safety was confirmed in the
country, a day after the Japanese government caused a fuss by providing
incorrect information of a launch because a Defense Ministry radar system
detected a ''path of some object.''
The Taepodong-2 missile is believed to have a range of more than 6,000 km, but
a test launch in July 2006 apparently failed. At the time, Pyongyang fired a
total of seven missiles, including Rodong medium-range missiles that are
thought to be targeted at Japan.
In August 1998, North Korea test-fired what it claimed to be a satellite but
many considered it to be a Taepodong-1 missile with a range of 1,500 km. Part
of the rocket flew over the Japanese archipelago and landed in the Pacific
Ocean, prompting Japan to accelerate its moves to build a missile shield based
on U.S. concepts.
==Kyodo
2009-04-05 22:41:05
