North Korea Finalising Launch Preparations

[Kuya]

I think they're too hungry to think right now.

[Colenzo]

maybe they will starve to death before they launch their little shit dick missle

[Jodwahh]

I remember reading they imported giant germany rabbits to feed their people because they have no economy and no food or basic provisions for that matter.

Some of the rabbits escaped and ended up breeding massively and now consume more food than they would have provided in the first place. Oh the ironing.

[Kerberoz]

Makes no sense anyway... all livestock are a waste of resources compared to just growing crops to eat... the only reason we have livestock is because they taste so damn good and we can afford to be inefficient.

[Kiro]

Kinda sucks if they launch a missile and it goes over Japan and fucking lands in Seattle. I hope they go for some shithole in Cali. Like LA or, to be awesomely accurate, Hollywood.

[Ferien]

The last time they did this, even China warned them to cut the shit out. China is their only major ally, but if it came down to it and NK provoked SK, Japan, or the US, they're almost certainly on their own. China's only aid to them would be within the UN, because even they've been tired of NK's shit for some time now.

And to those of you who asked if what I said were possible...Do you really think we don't already have our subs sitting off of NK's coast waiting for something like this to happen? Especially with a missile launch on the horizon? If this turns out to be an attack on us or any of our allies, Shock and Awe version 2 would immediately come down on North Korea. If this test turns out to be a disguised nuclear strike, all bets are off, they would lose any and all Chinese support, and they would probably be wiped off the map.

[Beckwin]

The thing to be scared of isn't a nuclear strike by NK- at worst, they're testing a missile, not aiming to detonate a nuke over a major city. The problem is that Japan won't have anything from NK flying over their airspace, be it test missile or satellite- which is understandable and their prerogative to not allow. But NK considers any interception of their missile/satellite, even in Japan's airspace, to be an act of war..... so again the issue is if the Japanese shoot whatever the hell it is down, NK will presumeably wage war on Japan.

enter a world of shit if that actually happens. the US has a protection agreement w/ Japan iirc, and we of course have troops in SK, so if SK gets involved we'd be involved by default.

to be honest, I think it really is a satellite. too bad that doesn't change anything.

[Ferien]

They can't track the missile further than 1000km, how are they going to keep track of the satellite? Besides, if they launch it, and it doesn't fail immediately like the last one did, either us or Japan are going to shoot it down. If that happens and they declare war on one of us, they're dead, and neither Russia nor China are going to back them.

[Demosthenes11]

to be honest, I think it really is a satellite. too bad that doesn't change anything.

I'm just curious what you are basing that on. I haven't heard any source even hint it was actually just a satellite

[MisterBob]

tbh I'd probably just laugh if America got nuked.

lolz I r frum Europe america is the stupid lolol

[Senoska]

I'm just curious what you are basing that on. I haven't heard any source even hint it was actually just a satellite

Its wayyyy to small to be a nuke. Hit CNN for the info, not digging it up for you. They know its not a nuke.

What people are worried about is this is a disguise to see if their missile was capable of being a nuke. ICBMs work by throwing a missile into low orbit. That being said, all they would have to do is switch out their satellite with a nuke and they have ICBMs. That is, if you ignore reentry methods and what not. This is why everyone is pissed off and worried.

[Tomiko]

Why doesn't NK just aim the launch in a different direction instead of towards Japan and the US? If its nothing more than a satellite launch I don't really see the issue in doing that to ease the worries of the other countries.

[Plow]

Some of the rabbits escaped and ended up breeding massively and now consume more food than they would have provided in the first place. Oh the ironing.

holy shit someone got irony right



My prediction is that it flies over Japan and gets shot down. NK shoops up some pictures to claim they had *counter-countermeasures* equipped, shooting down the missiles sent to shoot it down, and that it actually had a nuke, redirected itself to nuke Japan, and shows a bunch of pictures from the 40's.

[Senoska]

my prediction: it'll crash on the pad, if it doesn't, itll crash in flight, if it doesnt and makes it, no one will shoot it down.

[Kerberoz]

If it really is a satellite, it'll probably fly out of orbit or crash back into earth because they didn't get the trajectory right, then they'll Q_Q that someone shot it down.

[Senoska]

If it does crash, they are going to say someone shot it down. They have absolutely no radar system in their country. I kinda hope Japan does shoot it down and North Korea tries to start some shit because it gives us an excuse to fuck up their day.

[Araelus]

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | N Korea skips first launch chance

The first window in North Korea's five-day satellite launch plan has passed with no sign of a blast-off. A South Korean expert said conditions in the launch area were not ideal, with "somewhat strong" winds and cloud. Neighbouring states suspect the launch of the rocket is a cover for a long-range missile test and have urged North Korea not to go ahead. North Korea has said the launch will happen between 4-8 April, during windows from 0200 to 0700 GMT.

Observers say North Korea is very likely to stick to this commitment, firing the rocket at the first sign of good weather during the given times. Preparations for the satellite launch were complete and lift-off would take place "soon", North Korean state media have reported earlier on Saturday. But conditions were "not ideal", with "somewhat strong winds" and partial cloud at the launch site in north-eastern North Korea, said a South Korean Meteorological Administration spokesman. North Korea has said its rocket will pass over Japan. The first stage is expected to fall into the sea west of Japan, and the second stage dropping into the Pacific.

South Korea said it had convened a meeting of a special task-force, while security chiefs in Japan were said to be on stand-by. The US, Japan and South Korea have deployed warships with radar to seas off North Korea to monitor the launch. Japan's government at one point said that North Korea was believed to have launched a rocket, but later retracted the statement saying the information was incorrect.

'Stern response'

"Preparations for launching Kwangmyongsong-2, an experimental communications satellite, by carrier rocket Unha-2 have been completed at the satellite launching ground in the east coastal area of the DPRK (North Korea)," KCNA said. "The satellite will be launched soon," it added. In recent days satellite images have shown activity at the Musudan-ri site and the rocket positioned upright on the launch pad.

North Korea says it is pursuing peaceful space development, but its neighbours believe it could be planning to test a new long-range weapon. They suspect the launch is a cover for a test of the Taepodong-2 ballistic missile, which could put parts of the US within reach of the communist state. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have all criticised the launch plan, which would violate UN resolutions. Earlier this week, US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak said a "stern, united response" would follow any rocket launch by North Korea.

Japan, meanwhile, has said it will shoot down the rocket if it misfires and endangers Japanese territory. It has sent two destroyers equipped with missile interceptor technology into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). North Korea's military has threatened immediate retaliation if "even the slightest effort" is made to intercept its rocket. The secretive country first test-fired a Taepodong-2 missile in July 2006. The missile failed shortly after launch and crashed into the sea. Three months later it carried out a nuclear test. Talks between North Korea and five other nations - China, Russia, South Korean, the US and Japan - on an aid-for-disarmament deal are currently stalled.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...rocket_466.gif

[Khamsin]

Why doesn't NK just aim the launch in a different direction instead of towards Japan and the US? If its nothing more than a satellite launch I don't really see the issue in doing that to ease the worries of the other countries.

If it is just a satellite, that means they have no choice but to launch in the appropriate direction and trajectory necessary to get it into orbit. If that means it has to go over Japan or the US, then that's what it takes.

I wonder if NK knows enough of what they're doing to be able to make a successful launch into space (assuming no one shoots it down)? Then, NK will have a fully functioning satellite in continuous orbit just like the rest of us. If it has cameras attached, I wonder which way they'll be aimed.

[guartz]

oh noes, somebody else has weapons. We cannot allow this.

[Jodwahh]

If it is just a satellite, that means they have no choice but to launch in the appropriate direction and trajectory necessary to get it into orbit. If that means it has to go over Japan or the US, then that's what it takes.

I wonder if NK knows enough of what they're doing to be able to make a successful launch into space (assuming no one shoots it down)? Then, NK will have a fully functioning satellite in continuous orbit just like the rest of us. If it has cameras attached, I wonder which way they'll be aimed.

Knowing how NK works it will probably have them pointing at NK itself, to keep the pesky capitalist pigs from ruining the glorious peoples republic of freedom and eternal sunshine!