Another Round Goes to N.Korea

How boring, constantly to harp back to the same theme, and I do. North Korea was granted access to the funds we were holding because they were gained by counterfeit and fraud. Then they were going to shut down their nuclear facilities. Anyone else remember that one. That happened in June. Now we have test-firing of missiles that can reach South Korea.

North Korea is about to field an advanced short-range missile that has been tested successfully and will pose a new threat to South Korea, a departing U.S. Defense Department official said Friday.

Richard Lawless, at a final news conference after serving nearly five years as the Pentagon's top Asia policy official, said the new missile is more mobile and more accurate than the Scud missiles that already are targeting South Korea. Another concern is that the new missiles could be sold globally, he said.
(snip)
Much of the public attention on North Korea in recent years has been directed at an international effort to get the communist government to abandon its nuclear weapons program. On Friday, North Korea strongly suggested that it is willing to suspend operations at its plutonium-producing nuclear reactor as soon as it receives an initial shipment of energy aid promised as a reward for closing the facility.

Lawless said that if the North Koreans follow through on time and as promised, "that will be an indicator to the United States government that we have somebody that we can deal with." Even then, North Korea will need to address international concerns about its development of new missiles, he added.

He cited specifically North Korea's test-firing of three short-range missiles last week; Lawless said the missiles have a range of 120 to 140 kilometers, or about 75 to 85 miles, and were tested successfully.

Oh, well, there we go again. The U.S. has made a lot of announcements and pronouncements about what North Korea ought to be doing. We have deprived them of cognac and chocolates. Then we have done what they said to do, after we had said it was conditional on closing down their nuclear reactor at Pyongyang. (In answer to shrimplate about the September 23rd post, no, they can't shut off all nuclear facilities without hurting their populace further, the energy is needed.)

So I am adding to the scoreboard started September 23rd;
We let them keep the spoils, N.Korea - 1, U.S. - 0. We began the aid package, N.Korea - 1, U.S. - 0. We haven't had any shutdown, au contraire, there has been a nuclear test though of a dubious nature, N.Korea - 1, U.S. - 0. We are resuming talks without dismantling occurring, N.Korea - 1, U.S. - 0.

And successful missile firings, N.Korea - 1, U.S. - 0.