Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
North Korea says preparing rocket launch
Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:51pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Jon Herskovitz and Rhee So-eui
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it was preparing to launch a satellite on one of its rockets, which analysts have said would actually be a test-launch of its longest-range missile.
The announcement, which unsettled financial markets in South Korea, follows weeks of angry rhetoric from Pyongyang aimed at the conservative government in Seoul and warnings that the Korean peninsula was on the brink of war.
Analysts said Pyongyang was using brinkmanship to put pressure on the new U.S. government and its main allies in the region, South Korea and Japan, to reverse tough policies against the North. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a trip to Asia last week, warned North Korea against any provocative moves.
"The preparations for launching an experimental communications satellite ... are now making brisk headway," North Korea's KCNA news agency said.
"When this satellite launch proves successful, the nation's space science and technology will make another giant stride forward in building an economic power."
Government officials in Seoul and Tokyo said they were closely watching developments in the secretive state. Security experts said the launch could take place in days or weeks.
North Korea stunned the region when it fired a missile over Japan in 1998, saying it had launched a satellite.
If the long-range rocket flies successfully, Pyongyang would have a missile with a maximum range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to eventually carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, but not the contiguous 48 states, analysts said.
This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat to the United States. North Korea has only once tested the long-range rocket, better known as the Taepodong-2, in 2006 when it flew for a few seconds and then exploded.
Proliferation experts have said the North, which also tested a nuclear device in 2006, does not have the technology to make a nuclear weapon small enough to mount as a warhead.
The KCNA announcement unnerved financial markets in Seoul.
"The news will be additional risk factor to investors, who have already shunned South Korean assets including the won due to recent financial market turmoil," said Jeong My-young, a currency strategist at Samsung Futures Inc.
DAYS OR WEEKS AWAY?
Joseph Bermudez, an analyst with Jane's Defense Weekly, said at the weekend recent satellite imagery showed the North could be ready for the launch of the Taepodong-2 in days.
But Ham Hyeong-pil, a South Korean analyst, said it might not be until early March that the North could fire the rocket. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Q+A: Why would North Korea test-fire its missiles?
Also On Reuters
Biden is blunt contrast to Obama's Mr. Smooth
Slideshow
Slideshow: It's carnival time around the world
More than 36 million U.S. viewers watch Oscar telecast
More International News
Wary Tibetans set for muted New Year celebrations
Pakistani Taliban announce indefinite truce in Swat
| Video
New Zealand extends Afghan troop deployment
Israel replaces envoy to Egypt talks, Hamas angry
| Video
U.S. wants decades in prison for Syrian arms dealer
More International News...
Related News
FACTBOX: A look at North Korea's missile arsenal
23 Feb 2009
Q+A: Why would North Korea test-fire its missiles?
23 Feb 2009
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Microsoft drops payback demand on ex-workers
Soros sees no bottom for world financial "collapse" | Video
World on edge as U.S. slumps towards bank aid
AmEx paying card holders to close their accounts | Video
Russian general says watching Arctic militarization
"Milk" loses best film, but sparks new activism
New U.S. stake in Citigroup may not calm doubts | Video
AIG in talks with U.S. government, sees $60 billion loss: source | Video
Anger really can kill you, U.S. study shows
Dealers, dreamers see gold in California housing bust
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Roubini says crisis end distant
Obama vows to halve budget deficit
Israel apologises for Jesus spoof
Cost of air power in Pakistan
Slumdog Millionaire in Oscar triumph
Talk of the Town: Slumdog sweeps
European leaders in markets pledge
Israel, Hamas dismiss Amnesty report
Dying British star weds
Stanford's troubles turn to cricket
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
the great debate
Obama's foreign policy challenges
President Barack Obama’s toughest foreign-policy challenge will be in managing the sheer number of complex problems he’s inherited and their refusal to arrive in orderly fashion. Commentary
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.