North Korea fires rockets for the 4th, too
All week, speculation had it that they’d do this. Sure enough…
Seven Scud-type ballistic missiles with a range of about 500km (312 miles) were fired in an apparent act of defiance against the US, on 4 July.
Russia and China called on Pyongyang to return to talks, while a US official urged it not to aggravate tensions.
Too late.Â
North Korea is banned from all ballistic missile-related activities under UN sanctions.Â
The sanctions were strengthened after the communist nation carried out a second underground nuclear test in May.
And how’s that working out for the UN?Â
North Korea has launched a number of missiles since the test. On Thursday it fired four short-range missiles.
On America’s Independence Day, more ‘in your face’ provocations. Though….Pyongyang made them fall a little shorter, putting them in Japan’s face. On an important U.S. holiday.
And our government is responding to these missile launches how?
A spokesman for the US state department called them “not helpful” and said North Korea should ” refrain from actions that aggravate tensions and focus on denuclearisation talks”.
And that’s that.
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There is an old adage that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” That is even more true with North Korea. Here is a country with just enough nuclear knowledge to harm the world (especially South Korea). Add in the fact that the contry’s leadership may be in turmoil, with no clear voice, and no clear negotiating arm, and you find the difficulty in coming up with a clear response. One thing is clear. When an erradic country is in turmoil, it is like a cornered sick tiger. A slow and measured response is the only way forward. Especially because in this case the tiger has just enough knowledge to cause real damage.