The scheduled launch, which many see as a deliberately provocative military exercise, has prompted criticism from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and from the US, which called it “yet another egregious violation” of U.N. protocol, reports Agence France-Presse.
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Urging Pyongyang to drop its plans for a launch as early as next week, the government in Seoul said the move would be a serious breach of United Nations resolutions and a “direct challenge” to the worldwide community.
( _Korean) “The North’s public announcement of its launch shows a resolute drive, behind which there’s the decision of its leader Kim Jong-un himself”.
Senior Japanese defense officials have said their country will shoot down any North Korean missile that comes near their territory, after North Korea recently announced its intention for launch a satellite into space, according to multiple reports including Reuters and the Japan Times.
Russian Federation further called on North Korea to resume dialog over its nuclear program and other issues.
Still, China’s patience with North Korea’s snubs and provocations has its limits, said Jin Linbo, a Korea expert at the China Institute of International Studies.
Wu arrives while North Korea is said to be preparing celebrations for Kim Jong-il’s birthday on February 16, which will be followed by a large gathering of the ruling Worker’s Party in May.
There are fears that if North Korea goes ahead with the launch, its missile could fly over the Sakishima islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
North Korea analyst Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California pointed out satellite images showing increased activity at the Sohae rocket launch site, and noted that the height of the gantry has been increased.
Russel called for tough new sanctions, including what are believed to be a ban on selling the North oil or buying its minerals, excluding banks doing business with it from accessing the dollar-based economy, or even barring its flagship airline from entering other countries’ airspace.
North Korea is rumored to be working on a ballistic missile that could be used against the United States.
“Given the nuance of the remarks, it is highly likely that Wu returned home without a big achievement”, the source said on the condition of anonymity. The rocket’s first and second stages are supposed to fall off the coast of South Korea and the Philippines, respectively.
The remark hints that, since North Korea has already chose to launch the rocket, there are limits on China’s influence.
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China has sent its chief nuclear envoy to Pyongyang amid rising tensions in the region. This means there is considerable debate about whether it can produce nuclear bombs small enough to place on a missile, or missiles that can reliably deliver their bombs to faraway targets.
