On Monday a North Korean newspaper quoted a military official who stated that North Korea plans to launch more satellites in the coming days. The same official called Sundays launch a success. However military analysts around the world have commented that the test missile which was fired yesterday failed during the second and third stage. When speaking of the launch on Sunday, the military official stated that this was a “historic achievement which enhanced our pride greatly.” He continued to discuss the purpose of the launch saying, “This launch of an experimental telecommunication satellite is part of an engineering stage that comes before sending up satellites for practical purposes, including a meteorological satellite.”
With analysts around the world stating that this was a Taepodong-2 missile, what should the United States do? Can we continue to let North Korea advance their missile technology under the guise of a satellite program? Should we intervene and give North Korea an ultimatum? Perhaps sanctions are in order if they continue on this path. A South Korean newspaper was quoted as saying that this rocket launch was far more successful for North Korea than the last launch in 1998. The paper also stated that while there is no “satellite” in orbit, North Korea has made progress in their missile program. He called it “a big step forward” for North Korea and their rocket program.
What should our President do about this issue? Do we really want to risk a better equipped North Korea? Does anyone actually believe that we can trust North Korea with weapons?
