[imText1]In regard to North Korea launching it’s Daepodong-2 missile in the early morning of the 5th and its subsequent crash barely 40 seconds later into the East Sea, suggestions have been made that it was an “intentional failure” by North Korea.
In a conversation with the DailyNK, Shin Sung Tack, a researcher at CNS (The Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey, U.S.) analyzed that “North Korea succeeded in launching its test of the long-range missile satellite Gwang-myung-sung-1 in August of 1998, so it is likely that this was a deliberate failure by the North, rather than a mechanical defect”.
He said that “In 1998 a long-range missile, Daepodong-1 was launched. This time, an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, the Daepodong-2 missile was tested. As the launch capacity of a long-range missile was successfully proven in 1998, all that is necessary this time, in order to guage the success of the North Korean agenda, is to see whether the Daepodong-2 is truly has intercontinental capacity”.
Furthermore, he said that “When ICBM missiles can be identified upon launch, and although North Korea has no real reason to fire so far, the U.S. is examining via satellite the specifics of the launch to determine whether or not this was an ICBM”.
Researcher Shin said that “North Korea must have speculated that if the missile had reached U.S. soil it would have been a greater loss than gain, as the U.S. would undoubtedly respond with a forced attack disregarding the two party talks.”
In regard to the timing of the missile launch he explained “It has been officially clarified that a missile was launched and not a satellite. A satellite is normally launched on a clear day with no clouds around 2~3PM, however there are no necessary weather conditions in regard to missiles”.
He added “To launch (missiles) on the 4th (U.S. time) in concurrence with the launch of the space shuttle Discovery and U.S. Independence Day, was simply to add to its effect.”
An official concerned with North Korea acknowledged that the missile launch was different from the launch of the Daepodong-1 in 1998 and stated at a Japanese press conference on the 5th that, “Launching missiles is an issue associated with a country’s autonomy”.
