North Korea defied the U.N. Security Council today by firing off a barrage of ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting defense sources, said the missiles appeared to be Scud-type missiles with an estimated range of 400 to 500 km; they may have been Rodong missiles, which are essentially a scaled-up version of the Scud design.
Earlier this week, an unnamed Pentagon official told American Forces Press Service that North Korea's launch of four short-range missiles on July 2 were, in part, a bid for international attention. “I think that North Korea is looking for attention, and this is one of the ways that they seek to get attention,” the defense official said.
The same strategy seems to be at work today. In this case, the launch of seven missiles looks deliberately timed to coincide with U.S. Independence Day celebrations. It's reminiscent of the 2006 launch of a Taepodong-2, which also appeared timed to disrupt the Fourth of July.
But never mind the Scuds: The North Koreans were not able to pull off a more dramatic publicity stunt, like launching a long-range missile that could (theoretically) reach Hawaii. While there has been speculation about a possible long-range missile test, the Christian Science Monitor notes that there are no reports of new activity around the launch facilities where the North Koreans set up their long-range missiles.
[PHOTO: Ki4u.com]
See Also:
- Meet North Korea's New Top Cop
- North Korea Threatens 'Shower of Nuclear Retaliation'
- Inside America's (Mock) Attack on North Korea
- How To: Measure North Korea's Nuclear Blast
- Is North Korea Prepping Fourth of July Fireworks?
- North Korea's Possibly Itty-Bitty Nuke (Updated)
- North Korea's Satellite Launch: Fail?
- North Korea Preps for New Missile Launch? (Updated)
