Home | News Briefs | U.S. | World
| Celeb Buzz | Entertainment | Sports | Business | Health | Sci / Tech | Politics | Weird & Offbeat
--- Advertisment ---
Obama: United States "Fully Prepared" For North Korean Missile
June 22, 2009 7:46 a.m. EST
--- Advertisment ---
Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The United States has broad international support and is ready if North Korea, as reported, test-fires a missile toward Hawaii around Independence Day, according to President Barack Obama.
In a CBS interview airing on Monday, Obama speaks for the first time about Pyongyang's plan to fire a long-range missile next month, in violation of new and previous United Nations sanctions. The Pentagon has strengthened defense systems in Hawaii in response.
"This administration - and our military - is fully prepared for any contingencies," the President said.
Asked if his statement was a warning about a U.S. military response, Obama said, "No. It's just we are prepared for any contingencies. I don't want to speculate on hypotheticals. But I do want to give assurances to the American people that the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted in terms of what might happen. More broadly, I think the international community has spoken."
"You've got Russia and China as well as South Korea and Japan, the United States, the entire Security Council - saying unequivocally that North Korea has violated international law," he added. "That sends a signal, though, is of a unity in the international community that we haven't seen in quite some time... North Korea has a path towards rejoining the international community. And we hope they take that path. What we're not going to do is to reward belligerence and provocation in the way that's been done in the past."
North Korea, which conducted its second nuclear test in May and then abruptly ended the 1953 ceasefire agreement ratified after Korean War, is reportedly planning to test a missile sometime July 4 in the direction of Hawaii.
Defense Sec. Robert Gates last week deployed Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles and an SBX Radar to the area in response.
U.S. efforts to bolster defense systems in Hawaii coincide with the tracking of a North Korean-flagged ship, the Kang Nam, suspected of carrying banned material. The ship, which under U.N. sanctions must be inspected for contraband, is said to be headed toward Myanmar, which is ruled by a military junta.
The U.N. Security Council on June 12 imposed tougher sanctions on North Korea in response to the communist nation's May 25 nuclear test. Resolution 1874, which passed with a unanimous vote from the 15-member Council, demands that Pyongyang stop all nuclear and missile activity, and return unconditionally to the Six Party negotiations.
China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States are part of negotiations, called Six Party talks, with North Korea about nuclear disarmament.
The resolution imposes a complete embargo on North Korea's export of military material except small arms, and broadens the ban on the nation's imports. It gives Council member states the authority to inspect any land or sea vessel inside or outside their territory that they suspect is carrying material banned under the current and previous resolutions.
Inspecting cargo involves sending a request to North Korea, and not to the land or sea vessel, for permission to do so, according to the Pentagon. If the request is denied, a likely scenario given the communist nation's rhetoric, another one has to be made again to North Korea asking it to order the vessel to a port to be inspected.
Financial sanctions have also been tightened, and member states can freeze transactions and assets related to North Korea's proliferation activities, and financial institutions halt new loans, grants and trade credits except for humanitarian purposes.
North Korea has remained defiant in the face of the sanctions, as well as Obama's remarks.
Following the U.N. resolution, it released a statement through the official Korean Central News Agency, "The DPRK has so far done what it should do despite the ceaseless 'sanctions' on the part of the imperialist allied forces. These 'sanctions' prompted it to augment its national power, far from 'weakening' it."
"Under the present situation where the KPA is technically at war with the U.S. imperialists as the Armistice Agreement has lost its legal binding force the KPA will promptly exercise the right to preemptive strike to beat back the enemies' slightest provocation," it added.
On Monday, Pyonyang's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said, "It is a great mistake for the US to think it will not be hurt if it ignores this and ignites the fuse of war on the Korean peninsula."
South Korean and U.S. forces in the Korean peninsula had raised their alert level last month, in response to North Korea's missile test last month, which was immediately followed by the launch of two short-range missiles. The last time the alert was raised to level two was in October 2006, when Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test.
U.S. forces have been serving in South Korea since the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950. They currently number at around 28,000.
Copyright © 2003 - 2009 AHN - All rights reserved.Redistribution, republication. syndication, rewriting or broadcast is prohibited without the prior written consent of AHN.License AHN news for your website, business, digital signage network or publication.
Home | News Briefs | U.S. | World | Entertainment | Sports | Business | Health | Sci / Tech | Politics | Weird / Offbeat
© 2009 AHN
Client Login |
Submit News |
Privacy Policy |
Terms of Use
|
Contact
| Content Services
All Rights Reserved
Other News on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 Attacks kill 33 in Iraq as violence intensifies
Burkas not welcome in France: Sarkozy
US-TECH Summary
Unrest could hinder Tehran's regional goals
Ingush leader badly wounded in assassination bid
Whaling commission seeks to avoid quotas split
US relays concern to China over web filtering software
Revolutionary Guard warns on Iran protest
iPhone 3GS sales top 1 million
Bombings kill at least 22 in Iraq
Perez Hilton Bleeds After Alleged Assault By Will.I.Am
Fayyad to Palestinians: unite for state in 2 years
| International
|
Palestinian PM aims to create state in 2 years
Ericsson signs LTE patent deals
"Hustler" Founder Larry Flynt Rushed To The Hospital
Amateur video turns woman into icon of Iran unrest
Dennis Quaid And Wife To Receive $500K from Hospital Over Their Twins' Accidental Overdose
Police fire tear gas as Iran protesters defy Guards warning
Georgia conflict could erupt again: thinktank
| International
|
Blogger arraigned on Conn. lawmaker-threat charge
Nokia Siemens hopes to close Nortel deal by Q3
| Technology
|
Ore. attorney general clears Portland mayor
Clinton cancels overseas travel due to injury
Big US study will test vitamin D, fish oil
New map finds HIV rates are highest in the South
8 wounded as gunmen attack southern Thai temple
Man accused of Craigslist murder pleads not guilty
| Technology
|
Michelle Obama kicks off volunteer campaign in SF
Thailand attacks raise threat of sectarian war
Books by Martin Luther King Jr. to be republished
Journalists held by Taliban endured death threats
Mich teen makes 100-mile wheelchair trek
4 police suspended in Kashmir over murder cases
Japan, Germany agree to cooperate on new climate treaty
Teens find summer work in gov't stimulus package
Some Guantanamo detainees reject Palau move
Apple: More than 1M new-model iPhones sold
Latest Update Shows Swine Flu Has Infected 52,100, Killed 231 People Worldwide
Supreme Court Denies Appeal In CIA Leak Case Against Cheney, Other Bush Officials
China, Afghanistan pledge to fight terror, drugs
Airstrikes kill 21 after Pakistani bases attacked
Charged With Murder, Accused Craigslist Killer Philip Markoff To Be Arraigned
Danish-Swedish film wins Shanghai top prize
Poll: GOP Challenger Likely To Give Ohio Gov. Strickland Tough Re-Election Bid
North Korea threatens to harm US if attacked
Fuel Tanker Explodes In West Palm Beach, FL; No Deaths Reported
New York Prepared For "Emergency Session" As Senate Gridlock Continues
Obama: United States "Fully Prepared" For North Korean Missile
Portugal Agrees To Take In Three Guantanamo Terror Suspects
Two U.S. Troops Die After Attack On Bagram Air Base
President Obama Signs Landmark Anti-Smoking Legislation Monday
Taiwanese defense company seeks China deal
World Bank cuts 2009 global growth forecast
China raises tobacco tax to curb smoking
O'Neal says dying Farrah Fawcett has agreed to marry
| Entertainment
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
McConaughey and girlfriend expecting second child
| Entertainment
|
O'Neal says dying Farrah Fawcett has agreed to marry
Sunny weather and The Boss to shine on Glastonbury
Music Review: Dinosaur Jr mellows in middle age
Indian films in New York create Bollywood-on-Hudson
| Entertainment
|
Nobel prizes to be announced October 5-12
Sunny weather and The Boss to shine on Glastonbury
| Entertainment
|
New Japan whale cuisine aims to whet appetite for sea mammals
Keillor celebrates 'Prairie Home' 35th anniversary
Music Review: Mars Volta show softer side
Estelle to headline Stockholm Jazz Festival
Ryan O'Neal says he plans to marry Farrah Fawcett
French kidnapper to serve sentence in Mexico
Iran's Revolutionary Guards threaten crackdown
| International
|
British embassy in Iran warned as protests crushed
Madoff feeder fund charged with fraud
US computer group disturbed by tech supplied to Iran
Air France black box signals located: report
| International
|
Miner Anglo American rejects Xstrata merger bid
Whaling commission faced with quotas schism
US, Iraq renovating looted Baghdad amusement park
Birth defects in China's Shanxi show human price of coal
| International
|
HP unveils Web-connected printer
Sarkozy outlines French exit strategy from crisis
New U.S. orders in Afghanistan aim to reduce deaths
| International
|
Apple's Jobs makes first statement since January leave
Burkas not welcome in France: Sarkozy
Analysis casts doubts on Ahmadinejad's victory
Storm menaces Mexico coast, hurricane expected
| International
|
Palestinian premier: State institutions in 2 years
Russia's Ingush leader in grave condition after bomb
| International
|
Man accused of Craigslist murder pleads not guilty
Iranian police use force to break up protest
Taliban commander rival to Mehsud killed in Pakistan
| International
|
New 'Google phone' coming in August
31 killed in Iraq attacks as US pullback looms
Indonesia legal system under fire over e-mail case
| International
|
Alleged 'Craigslist Killer' pleads not guilty
U.S. and Kyrgyzstan draft new air base deal: source
| International
|
Kodak taking Kodachrome away
Mexico: 'Green fund' better than carbon credits
Heirs race to find Nazi-looted art before time runs out
| International
|
US draws line with China on climate technology
Crisis deepens for India's Hindu nationalists
SKorea hospital enforces 'right to die' ruling
Global Weather-Celsius
Apple CEO Jobs at work on Monday: witness
| Technology
|
3 adults, 1 toddler found dead at Kansas home
SKorean comatose patient taken off life support
S.Korean removed from life support in landmark case
Spokesman: SC governor hiking Appalachian Trail
US draws line with China on climate technology
Unions seek bigger role in charter schools
Red Cross surveys civilian suffering in war zones
NKorean ship may be heading to Myanmar: US
AP NewsBreak: Inmate left in feces nearly dies
Double Thai despair as Tamarine, Danai crash out
Whaling commission faced with quotas schism
Obama offers prayers for victims of commuter crash
Six dead in Washington rush-hour Metro crash
'Toronto 18' planned 3 days of attacks in Canada
Indiana man sought in wife's killing arrested
`Transformers,' `Potter' aim to revive box office
Taiwan dollar softens on stocks, ahead of Fed meeting
McConaughey and girlfriend expecting second child
Seoul shares decline on fresh economic jitters
UAE, S.Korea sign nuclear cooperation pact
O'Neal says dying Farrah Fawcett has agreed to marry
Chris Brown gets probation for assault on Rihanna
| Entertainment
|
Peas manager charged in Perez Hilton fight
| Entertainment
|
Chris Brown pleads guilty to felony assault
U.S. reality TV stars Jon & Kate to split
| Entertainment
|
Streisand hits jazz on first studio album in 4 years
| Entertainment
|
U.S. reality TV stars Jon & Kate to split
Transformers aims to recharge U.S. box offices
| Entertainment
|
Stereotypes worldwide associate men with science
Springsteen, Ticketmaster battle escalates
| Entertainment
|
Tighter fuel efficiency rules will help US automakers
Jessica Simpson returns to reality TV
| Entertainment
|
Megan Fox dismisses comparisons to Angelina Jolie
"Transformers" aims to recharge U.S. box offices
Peas manager charged in Perez Hilton fight
Springsteen, Ticketmaster battle escalates
Review: `Hurt Locker' strongest Iraq war film yet
Eurozone business contraction 'easing'
Intel to supply Nokia with mobile chips: report
Israel frees Hamas Palestinian parliament speaker
Somali pirates free Dutch ship, crew member dead
US singer Chris Brown admits Rihanna assault
Israel to free Palestinian parliament speaker
Sub follows signal from Air France black boxes
Israelis block Gaza aid to protest soldier's captivity
| International
|
Iran to temporarily recall London envoy
Yemeni relatives of murdered Jew leave for Israel
British PM pledges fresh start as speaker elected
Iran election body rules out scrapping vote: TV
Magnitude 7.0 quake hits off Papua New Guinea: USGS
| International
|
Suicide blast kills two Afghan civilians: official
Russia defends idea of new security plan for Europe
| International
|
US, Kyrgyzstan sign deal on Afghan transit
Intel to supply Nokia with mobile chips: report
U.S. aid worker shot dead in Mauritanian capital
| International
|
Suspected US strike kills six militants in Pakistan
MySpace to cut two-thirds of global workforce
| Technology
|
City lowers death toll in Metro crash Monday
AT&T in deals with Motorola and Alcatel-Lucent
| Technology
|
NTSB: Train in crash was recommended for phaseout
Mich. man 'stunned' he's not snatched tot from NY
Intel to supply Nokia with mobile chips: report
| Technology
|
Southern Baptists gathering in Ky. for meeting
Rival to Pakistan Taliban chief Mehsud assassinated
American 'shot dead in Mauritanian capital'
Khmer Rouge prosecutor submits resignation
60,000 inmates sexually abused every year
Airbus delivers first China-made jet
Malaysia passes DNA law before Anwar sodomy case
Woman pleads guilty, took dead mother's benefits
Suspected Indian rebels free 4 from police custody
AP source: Ford to get $5.9B in govt loans
Bomb attacks kill 5 Afghan civilians
China detains 18 suspected child traffickers
Taliban commander shot dead in northwest Pakistan
US defense official begins talks in Beijing
Australia warns Aborigines at high swine flu risk
Indian outsourcer Mahindra Satyam gets new CEO
Energy company buys China solar firm for $3.7B
Gome shares jump 70 percent on Bain investment
Cameron Diaz gets her Walk of Fame star
Thai auto exports plunge 54.69 pct in May
Asian 'trainees' died of overwork in Japan: lawyer
SKorea, Russia discuss gas deal despite tensions
Ed McMahon dies at 86
| Entertainment
|
Airbus delivers first China-made jet
Philippines says budget soars 556.2 percent
DC visitors pioneer Spy Museum's gaming strategy
Taiwan plans to issue T$110 bln govt bonds in Q3
Ryan Reynolds gives co-star White comedy points
Zhang Yimou starts shooting Coen brothers remake
It's a 'good crisis' for South American wine
Indonesia legal system under fire over e-mail case
Bullfighting revival plan stokes row in India
Brazilian town turning human waste into clean energy
The deaf lead the blind in Norwegian TV studio
Streisand hits jazz on first studio album in 4 years
Traditional Dutch fishermen turn to innovation
Cameron Diaz gets her Walk of Fame star
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights