http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/taepodong2/ en-us Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:06:55 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371704/posts North Korea has completed work on a new west coast site capable of launching improved intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to senior South Korean officials quoted by Yonhap news agency. The Dongchang-ri base has been under construction for several years despite long-running international efforts to shut down the communist state's missile and nuclear programmes. "The construction is as good as finished," one South Korean official told Yonhap on condition of anonymity. "The necessary facilities are all there." Another official said the North has been testing missile parts such as boosters at the site about 200 km (125 miles) northwest of Pyongyang.... Space War http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371704/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:06:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342671/posts Czechs are used to betrayal by their Western allies. It was at Munich in 1938 that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sealed their doom in exchange for a piece of paper promising "peace in our time." The fact that this further gutting of missile defense came on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland on Sept. 17, 1939, is an eerie coincidence. "Just after midnight I was informed in a telephone call by President Barack Obama that (his) administration had decided to pull out from the planned missile defense shield installations" in the Czech Republic and Poland, the... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342671/posts#comment Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:50:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342444/posts Strategic Defense: With Iran on the verge of a deliverable nuke, the administration tells our allies in the dead of night that we will scuttle missile defense plans in Eastern Europe to please the Russians.Czechs are used to betrayal by their Western allies. It was at Munich in 1938 that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sealed their doom in exchange for a piece of paper promising "peace in our time." The fact that this further gutting of missile defense came on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland on Sept. 17, 1939, is an eerie coincidence. "Just after... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342444/posts#comment Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:25:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262598/posts As Defense Secretary Gates tours our missile defense site at Fort Greely, Alaska, Gov. Sarah Palin calls for restoration of the missile defense cuts. Meanwhile, North Korea points another missile at the U.S. Robert Gates' visit to our missile defense facility at Fort Greely on Monday was a pointed reminder to the North Koreans that while we have been talking softly, we still have a few big sticks in the ground ready to turn the North Korean missile program into so much scrap metal. Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262598/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jun 2009 02:00:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275575/posts Defense: As we prepare to celebrate our independence, North Korea wants to remind us of Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, we can make use of assets dreamed of by Reagan and deployed by Bush to defend our 50th state. Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported Thursday that North Korea would launch a long-range Taepodong-2 missile at Hawaii on or about July 4. This would be the anniversary of the first Taepodong-2 test on July 4, 2006. It would also mark the 15th anniversary of North Korean President Kim Il Sung's death.Those who know have stopped laughing at North Korea's increasingly credible nuclear and global... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275575/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:19:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2218502/posts DPRK blasts S. Korea's intention to participate in PSI www.chinaview.cn 2009-03-30 22:30:43 Print PYONGYANG, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) blasted the intention of the South Korea to participate in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) on Monday, warning "resolute countermeasure" against it. "We solemnly declare that should the Lee group participate in the 'PSI,' oblivious of this reality, the DPRK will consider this as a declaration of a war and promptly take a resolute countermeasure against it," the official KCNA news cited a spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying.... Xinhua http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2218502/posts#comment Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:14:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216614/posts America's top military officer said on Friday that a rocket North Korea plans to launch next month has a range that could possibly reach Hawaii. Asked if the North Korean rocket could reach the US states of Hawaii or Alaska, Admiral Mike Mullen told CNN: "In some cases, yes, they could probably get down to Hawaii." International concern has been mounting about North Korea's announcement it would launch a communications satellite between April 4 and 8. The United States, Japan and other allies believe Pyongyang is using the launch to test a ballistic missile that could, in theory, cross the... breitbart.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216614/posts#comment Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:27:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195248/posts An armada of air, sea and space intelligence assets are being deployed above and around North Korea in anticipation of the imminent test of a 105 ft. Taepo-Dong-2 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile disguised as a satellite launch vehicle. The timing of the test is unknown, but expected soon. Key North Korean support hardware has been spotted moving into place around the launch site and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il visited the launch facility February 25. Iranian hardware, including possible satellite components, are part of the North Korean test. Many of the same flight test objectives for demonstrating ICBM flight and guidance... SPACEFLIGHT NOW http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195248/posts#comment Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:03:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186524/posts N.Korea 'Could Test Missile During Clinton's Asia Visit' An expert on East Asian relations has suggested that North Korea could test-fire its inter-continental ballistic missile during U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's four-nation Asian tour. Secretary Clinton leaves the U.S. Sunday to visit Korea, Japan, Indonesia and China. She is scheduled to stay in Seoul on Thursday and Friday. The prediction came at a seminar in Washington D.C. on Thursday by Georgetown University scholar Balbina Hwang. She is a former senior special advisor to ambassador Christopher Hill, who worked as Washington's chief nuclear envoy to North Korea under the George... Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186524/posts#comment Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:39:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2184624/posts N.Korea 'Transports Missile to Launch Site' North Korea has transported a missile to a launch site in Musudan-ri on the east coast using a special covered cargo carriage to make it difficult to track, intelligence agencies claimed Thursday. This 40m-long special cargo carriage is double the length of an ordinary carriage and said to be capable of carrying the first and second-stage rockets and components of the Taepodong-2. But South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies cannot say how large the missile is. They assume that North Korea is now assembling the missile at the launch site in Musudan-ri, North Hamgyong... Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2184624/posts#comment Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:38:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182983/posts U.S. official: North Korea might be making missile preparations From Barbara Starr CNN Pentagon Correspondent WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. spy satellite snapped an image within the last several days of preparations at a North Korean missile site previously used for Taepodong-2 missile launch operations, a senior U.S. official told CNN Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, right, in an undated photo that the state news agency released Saturday. The photograph shows North Korea assembling telemetry equipment at the site -- equipment that would be needed for a launch to take place, the official said, adding that so far,... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182983/posts#comment Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:21:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182895/posts Gates jokes about North Korean missile test /snip "Since the first time that they launched the missile it flew for a few minutes before crashing, the range of the Taepodong-2 remains to be seen," Gates told reporters during a Pentagon news conference. "So far, it's very short." /snip AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182895/posts#comment Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:23:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2177134/posts North Korea preparing for ballistic missile launch: media By Jon Herskovitz 48 mins ago SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea appears to be preparing to test-launch its longest range ballistic missile, media reports said on Tuesday, stoking tensions just days after the reclusive state warned that the Korean peninsula was on the brink of war. North Korea, which typically carries out missile tests in times of political friction, last week said it was scrapping all agreements with South Korea in a move analysts said was aimed at pressuring Seoul and grabbing the attention of new U.S. President Barack Obama. The North,... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2177134/posts#comment Tue, 3 Feb 2009 03:04:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814173/posts Excerpt - SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is preparing for a mass military parade to showcase its weaponry, possibly including its long-range Taepodong-2 missile, a move expected to heighten tension in the region, a South Korean source said Sunday. South Korean intelligence authorities have detected the North covering missiles, army trucks and other military hardware with camouflage blankets, which are to be used in a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its Korean People's Armed Forces, the source said, on condition of anonymity. The anniversary falls on April 25. "We are focusing on... Yonhap News (South Korea) (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814173/posts#comment Mon, 9 Apr 2007 00:55:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1694284/posts The U.S. missile defense system yesterday shot down an incoming dummy warhead simulating the last-stage trajectory of a North Korean Taepodong-2 missile, a milestone that U.S. officials expect to counter critics of earlier tests. It was the first time a dummy North Korean missile was intercepted, and the sixth successful intercept since 1999, said officials from the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency. "What we did today is a huge step in terms of our systematic approach to continuing to field, continuing to deploy and continuing to develop a missile defense system for the United States, for our allies, our friends, our... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1694284/posts#comment Sat, 2 Sep 2006 07:37:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678281/posts N. Korea removes second Taepodong-2 missile from launch site:officials SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may have relocated a long-range missile from a launch site from which it test-fired missiles last month, but the reason for its removal and its new location were not immediately known, a government official said Friday. The purported missile was one of two Taepodong-2 missiles assembled at the launch site in the eastern district of Musudan-ri, North Hamkyong Province, where the first missile was launched on July 5 along with six other short- and mid-range missiles from other launch sites. Yonhap News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678281/posts#comment Sat, 5 Aug 2006 14:56:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676857/posts SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has been constructing new underground missile bases and silos along its east coast in recent years to deploy intermediate-range rockets targeting Japan and U.S. military facilities on the archipelago, a report said Thursday. "The new bases clustered along the east coastal line, in particular, are short- and medium-range missile bases aiming at Japan and U.S. military installations in Japan," said a report written by Yun Deok-min, a security expert at the state-funded Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. About 200 Rodong missiles with ranges of up to 2,200 kilometers and 50... Yonhap News (South Korea) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676857/posts#comment Thu, 3 Aug 2006 05:38:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676856/posts Excerpt - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has been working closely with Iran to develop its long-range ballistic missiles, possibly using Chinese technology, and is building large bases to prepare for their deployment, a South Korean state-run think tank said. Communist North Korea is also building new sites near the Demilitarised Zone border for short-range missiles and is deploying missiles with improved precision that can strike most of Japan, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) said in a report. "The development of Taepodong-2 is conducted jointly with Iran, and it is possible China's technology is used in... Reuters (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676856/posts#comment Thu, 3 Aug 2006 05:30:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676852/posts (LEAD) N. Korea building new missile bases, silos along east coast: Report SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has been constructing new underground missile bases and silos along its east coast in recent years to deploy intermediate-range rockets targeting Japan and U.S. military facilities on the archipelago, a report said Thursday. "The new bases clustered along the east coastal line, in particular, are short- and medium-range missile bases aiming at Japan and U.S. military installations in Japan," said a report written by Yun Deok-min, a security expert at the state-funded Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. About 200... Yonhap News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676852/posts#comment Thu, 3 Aug 2006 05:11:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1674509/posts N. Korea missile thought to have flown less far than Japan estimated TOKYO, July 30 KYODO The United States has told Japan that North Korea's long-range Taepodong-2 missile, fired July 5, exploded in midair within 1.5 kilometers of the launching pad, Japanese government sources said Saturday. Japan had estimated the missile had reached a Sea of Japan area 400-600 kilometers away. The sources also told Kyodo News the Japanese and U.S. governments have tracked the flight paths of four other ballistic missiles North Korea launched the same day. The findings could enable Japan to release a report on the incident... Kyodo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1674509/posts#comment Sun, 30 Jul 2006 05:12:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1669927/posts High Frontier Strategic Issues Policy Brief July 14, 2006 “Six Scuds and a Dud” – Why should we care? By Henry F. Cooper 1 (Stanton Coalition Presentation) On Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume referred to North Korea’s intrusion on our July 4 celebration with their launch of “Six Scuds and a Dud,” and implied this was not a particularly significant event. I beg to differ. The Dud Problem First, the “dud,” their failed test of a Taepodong-2, involved a three stage rocket presumably intended to deliver a modern nuclear weapon to Hawaii, Alaska or the Northwestern continental United States. And... High Frontier http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1669927/posts#comment Fri, 21 Jul 2006 16:27:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1667807/posts Taepodong-2 Launch Failure: What Really Happened /begin my excerptThere is another interesting development. Up to now, it has been reported that, 42 seconds after its launch, (N. Korea's) Taepodong-2 missile (1) exploded in mid-air  or (2) veered off its intended flight path, and continue to fly for another 7 minutes, covering 499km. However, more careful investigation showed that, it developed some problem 29 seconds after the launch,  smoke came out from some parts of the missile, it veered off its flight path, flying in a spiral path, and finally ending in the complete explosion, 42 seconds after the launch, blowing up into... Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1667807/posts#comment Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:37:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1667583/posts Intelligence services in Seoul and Washington are analyzing suspicions that the seven missiles North Korea test-fired on July 5 include two new intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a range of 2,500-4,000 km. A government source said spy agencies detected electronic signals different from the North’s Rodong or Scud missiles from two of six medium-range missiles the North test-launched on July 5. Intelligence services considered whether they could be Scud-ERs with a range of up to 1,000 km, but additional analysis produced the suspicion that they could be a whole new type of IRBM, the source said. If so, they are... Chosun Ilbo (South Korea) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1667583/posts#comment Tue, 18 Jul 2006 03:56:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666462/posts Security Council 5490th Meeting (PM) SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA'S MISSILE LAUNCHES, UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1695 (2006) Demands Suspension of All Related Ballistic Missile Activity;Urges Country to Return Immediately to Six-Party Talks Without Precondition The United Nations Security Council today condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's recent test-firing of a series of missiles, and demanded that the North-East Asian country suspend all ballistic missile related activity and reinstate its moratorium on missile launches. Acting "under its special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security", the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1695 (2006), by the... United Nations Security Council http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666462/posts#comment Sun, 16 Jul 2006 01:24:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666231/posts N.Korea 'Spending Hand Over Fist While People Starve' A Grand National Party lawmaker and member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee on Friday said North Korea’s budget structure means it can pour money into its missile program while its people are starving. The comments from Chung Hyung-keun came at a meeting of leading party members a day after the North slammed the South’s refusal to continue food aid until it returns to disarmament talks. "We understand that North Korea intends to build up to 17 more Taepodong-2 missiles,” Jung said. "Some people say each Taepodong-2 costs W60 billion (US$1=W954), but... Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666231/posts#comment Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:44:18 GMT