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N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012

PYONGYANG, North Korea — Defying international concerns, North Korea fired a long-range rocket early Friday that splintered into pieces over the Yellow Sea about a minute after takeoff in an apparent failure, South Korean and U.S. officials said.

The liftoff took place at 7:39 a.m. (2239 GMT Thursday) from the west coast launch pad in the hamlet of Tongchang-ri, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said, citing South Korean and U.S. intelligence.

The U.S., South Korea and many other countries had warned against the launch, calling it a provocation and a cover to test missile technology. North Korea had insisted it would not back down, and said the rocket would only carry a civilian satellite, touting it as a major technological achievement to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, on Sunday.

Still, if the rocket failed, it would be a major embarrassment for Pyongyang, which has invited dozens of international journalists to observe the rocket launch and other celebrations.

It has staked its pride on the satellite, seeing it as a show of strength amid persistent economic hardship while Kim Il Sung's grandson, the 29-year-old Kim Jong Un, solidifies power following the death of his father, longtime leader Kim Jong Il, four months ago.

"It blows a big hole in the birthday party," said Victor Cha, former director for Asia policy in the U.S. National Security Council, contacted in Washington. "It's terribly embarrassing for the North."

He said the next step would be to watch whether North Korea conducts a nuclear test, as has been speculated by the South Korean intelligence community. North Korea is reportedly making preparations for such a test soon.

"We have to watch very carefully what they are doing now at the nuclear test site and how they explain this with all those foreign journalists in the country," Cha said.

In Pyongyang, there was no word about a launch. North Korean officials said they would make an announcement about the launch "soon." At Kim Il Sung Square, the city's main plaza, residents were sitting around waiting for a rehearsal for upcoming celebrations.

It had earlier said that the rocket would be fired any day between April 12 and April 16. The daily window was supposed to be 7 a.m. to noon.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said the rocket launch was confirmed a "failure." He provided no details.

But earlier, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters the rocket splintered into pieces moments after takeoff.

In Washington, a U.S. official also said the launch appeared to have failed. The official offered no further details and would not discuss the source of the U.S. information.

"We suspect the North Korean missile has fallen as it divided into pieces minutes after liftoff," said the official. Tokyo, which was prepared to shoot down any rocket flying over its territory, also confirmed a launch from North Korea.

"We have confirmed that a certain flying object has been launched and fell after flying for just over a minute," Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said. He said there was no impact on Japanese territory.

North Korean space officials said the Unha-3, or Galaxy-3, rocket is meant to send a satellite into orbit to study crops and weather patterns – its third bid to launch a satellite since 1998. Officials took foreign journalists to the west coast site to see the rocket and the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite Sunday in a bid to show its transparency amid accusations of defiance.

"For all their advanced technology, these rockets are fairly fragile things," said Brian Weeden, a technical adviser at Secure World Foundation and former Air Force officer at the U.S. Space Command. "You're looking at a metal cylinder that has fairly thin walls that contains a lot of high pressure liquid."

Weeden said the launch appeared to be a failure of both space and missile objectives.

"The earlier it breaks up, the less data you've collected, so the less useful that test is likely to be," he said. "It's very likely that the U.S. and its allies probably gathered more information about this test than the North Koreans have."

He said the U.S. and other nations had been poised to keep close watch on the launch to gather intelligence about the state of North Korea's rocket program.

The United States, Britain, Japan and others have called such a launch a violation of U.N. resolutions prohibiting North Korea from nuclear and ballistic missile activity.

Experts say the Unha-3 carrier is the same type of rocket that would be used to launch a long-range missile aimed at the U.S. and other targets. North Korea has tested two atomic devices but is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking for the Group of Eight nations after their foreign ministers met in Washington, said Thursday that all the members of the bloc agreed to be prepared to take further action against North Korea in the Security Council if the launch went ahead.

"Pyongyang has a clear choice: It can pursue peace and reap the benefits of closer ties with the international community, including the United States; or it can continue to face pressure and isolation," Clinton said.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was convening an emergency security meeting, officials said.

The White House issued the following statement:

Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea’s provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments. While this action is not surprising given North Korea’s pattern of aggressive behavior, any missile activity by North Korea is of concern to the international community. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations, and is fully committed to the security our allies in the region.

The President has been clear that he is prepared to engage constructively with North Korea. However, he has also insisted that North Korea live up to its own commitments, adhere to its international obligations and deal peacefully with its neighbors.

North Korea is only further isolating itself by engaging in provocative acts, and is wasting its money on weapons and propaganda displays while the North Korean people go hungry. North Korea's long-standing development of missiles and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not brought it security – and never will. North Korea will only show strength and find security by abiding by international law, living up to its obligations, and by working to feed its citizens, to educate its children, and to win the trust of its neighbors.
(931089)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Fred G on Thu Apr 12 22:24:23 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

I dunno, is LOL the proper comment?

your pal,
Fred

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Italianstallion on Thu Apr 12 22:25:00 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

Several rocket scientists will soon be executed.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Railman718 on Thu Apr 12 22:25:59 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

Excuse me while i laugh...

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Thu Apr 12 22:27:22 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

Perhaps it had help in failing.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 22:27:27 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

I kept trying to *tell* them not to put wingolets on that damned thing. But would they listen? Nope. :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by ClearAspect on Thu Apr 12 22:57:47 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

Insert sexual jokes regarding lasting 1 minute here -->

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 23:05:45 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by ClearAspect on Thu Apr 12 22:57:47 2012.

Or if it had stayed up for over four hours. :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by bingbong on Thu Apr 12 23:06:44 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 23:05:45 2012.

That isn't a bonus, yunno.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 23:21:20 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by bingbong on Thu Apr 12 23:06:44 2012.

Prolly would have been for Kim Jung Un. :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by AMoreira81 on Thu Apr 12 23:23:11 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

(to the tune of "Party Rock Anthem"): Rockets crashing in the sea tonight...makes Kim Jong-un pull out his hair day and night...

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by ClearAspect on Thu Apr 12 23:23:19 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 23:21:20 2012.

Exactly, if it just reached upper atmosphere it would've made its point, but I think this was all pomp and circumstance to distract from its real goal... to conduct an underground nuclear test.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 23:33:59 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by ClearAspect on Thu Apr 12 23:23:19 2012.

I'm wondering who fired the laser? :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:25:59 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

To be fair most of our early attempts weren't much more successful:



But it helps to be launching on a nearly daily basis, with each type of rocket flying almost every month, to hammer out the problems.

Hell, we could learn a valuable lesson from the North Koreans. Our space program is edging dangerously close to the same sort of all-eggs-in-one-basket approach with the Space Launch Vehicle. We'd do better to launch smaller rockets on a more frequent schedule.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 00:28:00 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:25:59 2012.

Your admiration for the north korean missile program is duly noted.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:46:17 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 00:28:00 2012.

Eh? All I noted is that it's hypocritical for us to laugh at their efforts without considering what it took to get to this point. I realize you're perfectly comfortable with being a hypocrite, but the rest of us may not wish to be quite so foolish.

In any event, if you'd read what I wrote you'd have realized that it will be virtually impossible for North Korea to field an ICBM with their program is it stands today. Short of importing know-how, the only way to increase reliability is to increase the flight rate. With their military budget already occupying an unsustainably large portion of their GDP they quite literally cannot afford to increase their flight rate. So they're doomed to test an increasingly complex weapons system at intervals measured in years, from which they will likely learn next to nothing.

It's an interesting diplomatic game we've played with them for decades. If they hadn't focused on the US they could have fielded perhaps a few dozen nuclear tipped Scud derivatives which could have posed a legitimate threat to South Korea, Japan, and China's economic well-being. But by having them focus on the US as their primary threat we've forced their strategic thinking toward an ICBM which they have virtually no chance of fielding.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 00:49:37 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:46:17 2012.

Thanks will. Your are apparently very impressed with what you said in your response. I congratulate you.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:59:32 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 00:49:37 2012.

Not a problem. I'm always happy to clarify for the functionally illiterate.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Fri Apr 13 01:02:45 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:59:32 2012.

He's not functional either. :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 01:18:41 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

Also:

Comedy Central Stand-Up



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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SLRT on Fri Apr 13 05:51:58 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

Actually, I don't find it so funny. Another thing to lull us into complacency.
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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SLRT on Fri Apr 13 05:52:26 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Italianstallion on Thu Apr 12 22:25:00 2012.

First thing I thought of.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 08:50:50 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by SelkirkTMO on Fri Apr 13 01:02:45 2012.

He's effing with you guys....

He seems to enjoy getting under Wills Skin.. Of course it don't work with you Kev!:o)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 08:54:54 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 08:50:50 2012.

Don't worry about Kev. He couldn't figure out how to move a subway train or tell the truth.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 08:56:23 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by WillD on Fri Apr 13 00:59:32 2012.

Whoa willy, t'was not me that nearly flunked out of college on daddy's money - 'member? Are you still wearing that pretty blue ribbon in your hair?

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 08:56:53 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 08:54:54 2012.

Uh oh somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed! ;o)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 09:06:31 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 08:56:53 2012.

Nope - actually after last night's festivities I'm feeling pretty good. I'm sure you recognized the good company that I was in.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 09:14:44 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 09:06:31 2012.

Well of course!

Im waiting for my "Junior Membership" application though...

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by JayZeeBMT on Fri Apr 13 10:46:13 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Apr 12 23:33:59 2012.

I'm wondering who fired the laser?

lolwut? That was the first thing I thought of, too. :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 13:01:48 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 09:14:44 2012.

We will be happy to enroll you in our "future members" program

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Chris R16/R2730 on Fri Apr 13 13:54:08 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

I guess their Diet Coke and Mentos engine design needs "tweaking" ...
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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Fred G on Fri Apr 13 14:33:16 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Chris R16/R2730 on Fri Apr 13 13:54:08 2012.

Need Coke Zero!

Your pal,
Fred

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Fred G on Fri Apr 13 16:23:31 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

From the NYT:

SEOUL, South Korea — For the new North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, his government’s failure to put a satellite into orbit on Friday was a $1 billion humiliation.

Hahaha, fuck communism, you fat douchebag son of a son of a douchebag! pricks, assholes, no taepo dong!

your pal,
Fred

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 17:12:03 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Fred G on Fri Apr 13 16:23:31 2012.

+7

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Fri Apr 13 18:23:03 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 08:50:50 2012.

He's my favorite chew toy, even more so than Olog. :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by orange blossom special on Fri Apr 13 18:24:54 2012, in response to N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dave on Thu Apr 12 22:03:20 2012.

I'm not buying it. I sense a major conspiracy.

The UN forbids a launch and was against it. It is impossible for them to launch.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 18:26:03 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 13:01:48 2012.

We will be happy to enroll you in our "future members" program

I await the application...



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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 18:31:26 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 18:26:03 2012.

Start by coming to the gym every morning and then to lunch. Imagine Al Capone in sweats Monday Morning.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Railman718 on Fri Apr 13 18:36:56 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Train Dude on Fri Apr 13 18:31:26 2012.

Start by coming to the gym every morning and then to lunch.

Theres a Gym Up here Bigger than the one you go to..

Imagine Al Capone in sweats Monday Morning

You HAD to go that route huh?
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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Fri Apr 13 18:46:00 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by JayZeeBMT on Fri Apr 13 10:46:13 2012.

Spooks ... spooks everywhere! :)

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by Dan Lawrence on Fri Apr 13 20:39:45 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by orange blossom special on Fri Apr 13 18:24:54 2012.

North Korea cares nothing about the UN, they have no power.

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Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute

Posted by orange blossom special on Fri Apr 13 21:49:49 2012, in response to Re: N. Korea rocket crashes after 1 minute, posted by Dan Lawrence on Fri Apr 13 20:39:45 2012.

They why do I hear about them and their laws so often?!


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