N Korea to conduct more tests

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   N Korea to conduct more tests

SEOUL/BEIJING: A defiant North Korea acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that it had launched a missile, vowed to carry out more tests and threatened to use force if the international community tried to stop it. 

Pyongyang's statement came as the United States and Japan closed ranks in the face of a UN Security Council split over whether to slap sanctions on North Korea over the volley of missiles it fired off on Wednesday. 

"The successful missile test was part of a regular military exercise conducted by our military to boost our self-defence," Yonhap news agency quoted a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman as saying on KRT state television. 

"If anyone tries to discuss the rights and wrongs about (future tests) and apply pressure, we will be forced to take physical actions of a different nature." 

Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi and US president George W Bush, speaking by telephone, agreed to work together for a UN resolution demanding that nations halt funds and technology that could be used for Pyongyang's missile programme. 

Their call, reported by Japan's Kyodo news agency, came after Russia and China opposed slapping sanctions on North Korea � echoing the split among the UN Security Council's veto-wielding members over Iran's nuclear ambitions. 

North Korea launched at least six missiles from its east coast early on Wednesday. As the international community fumed, the reclusive Stalinist state launched a seventh some 12 hours later, Japanese and South Korean officials said. The missiles included a long-range Taepodong-2, which some experts had said could hit Alaska. 

Meanwhile, North Korea said it was still committed to achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula through dialogue, Xinhua news agency reported from Pyongyang. 

The Chinese news agency quoted a spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry as saying Pyongyang's commitment to achieving the goal of denuclearising the Korean peninsula through dialogue and consultation "so far has not changed". 

In related reports, officials in Seoul said on Thursday that North Korea will fire a second long-range missile, thought able to reach the United States, once technical problems that brought down the first one this week are fixed. 

South Korea's spy agency told parliament that two Taepodong-2 long-range missiles were transported from a missile plant in Pyongyang in early May to the launch site in Musudanri in northeastern Hwadae county. 

Taepodong-2, thought to be able to fly over 6,700 km to bring Alaska and Hawaii into range, crashed into the Sea of Japan 42 seconds after launch. 

"Technical flaws caused the failure of the Taepodong 2," the National Intelligence Service was quoted as telling the National Assembly by Chung Hyung-Keun, an opposition Grand National Party lawmaker. 

"We are watching the situation closely, judging that the North will certainly fire the second Taepodong-2 when these technical defects are fixed."

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Muhammad77 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group Joined: 07 July 2006 Status: Offline Points: 222	Post Options Post Reply Quote Muhammad77 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: N Korea to conduct more tests Posted: 07 July 2006 at 11:09pm
	N Korea to conduct more tests SEOUL/BEIJING: A defiant North Korea acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that it had launched a missile, vowed to carry out more tests and threatened to use force if the international community tried to stop it. Pyongyang's statement came as the United States and Japan closed ranks in the face of a UN Security Council split over whether to slap sanctions on North Korea over the volley of missiles it fired off on Wednesday. "The successful missile test was part of a regular military exercise conducted by our military to boost our self-defence," Yonhap news agency quoted a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman as saying on KRT state television. "If anyone tries to discuss the rights and wrongs about (future tests) and apply pressure, we will be forced to take physical actions of a different nature." Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi and US president George W Bush, speaking by telephone, agreed to work together for a UN resolution demanding that nations halt funds and technology that could be used for Pyongyang's missile programme. Their call, reported by Japan's Kyodo news agency, came after Russia and China opposed slapping sanctions on North Korea � echoing the split among the UN Security Council's veto-wielding members over Iran's nuclear ambitions. North Korea launched at least six missiles from its east coast early on Wednesday. As the international community fumed, the reclusive Stalinist state launched a seventh some 12 hours later, Japanese and South Korean officials said. The missiles included a long-range Taepodong-2, which some experts had said could hit Alaska. Meanwhile, North Korea said it was still committed to achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula through dialogue, Xinhua news agency reported from Pyongyang. The Chinese news agency quoted a spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry as saying Pyongyang's commitment to achieving the goal of denuclearising the Korean peninsula through dialogue and consultation "so far has not changed". In related reports, officials in Seoul said on Thursday that North Korea will fire a second long-range missile, thought able to reach the United States, once technical problems that brought down the first one this week are fixed. South Korea's spy agency told parliament that two Taepodong-2 long-range missiles were transported from a missile plant in Pyongyang in early May to the launch site in Musudanri in northeastern Hwadae county. Taepodong-2, thought to be able to fly over 6,700 km to bring Alaska and Hawaii into range, crashed into the Sea of Japan 42 seconds after launch. "Technical flaws caused the failure of the Taepodong 2," the National Intelligence Service was quoted as telling the National Assembly by Chung Hyung-Keun, an opposition Grand National Party lawmaker. "We are watching the situation closely, judging that the North will certainly fire the second Taepodong-2 when these technical defects are fixed."