Latest North Korean Missile Test

[image: cnn.com]

For the first time since 2009, North Korea test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan – likely in response to provocative US/South Korean military exercises (and US/Japanese ones) the DPRK believes are preparations for war.

Reportedly the missile flew around 2,700 km, reaching a maximum height of 550 km over Japan before breaking up and falling harmlessly into waters around 1,180 km east of Hokkaido.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he’ll “demand convening an emergency (Security Council) meeting.” Washington and South Korea also called for one.

Hours after the test, South Korean war planes conducted a provocative bombing drill, President Moon Jae-in’s press secretary saying it was ordered as the nation’s security council discussed possible counter-measures against the DPRK.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Rex Tillerson discussed imposing additional sanctions on Pyongyang.

A Tuesday Security Council meeting is planned. Whether China and Russia will agree to further tough sanctions is unknown.

They’re ineffective in halting Pyongyang’s development of a deterrent against feared US aggression – the reason for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, for defense, not offense.

Beijing and Moscow support a “double freeze (dual suspension)” – Pyongyang agreeing to suspend further ballistic missile tests along with Washington, South Korea and Japan halting joint military exercise, a proposal the Trump administration rejects, continuing heightened tensions instead of cooling things down as a first step toward ending brinksmanship on the Korean peninsula.

Tuesday’s test followed three short-range missiles test-fired on Saturday – two traveling about 250 km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan harmlessly, the third reportedly exploding shortly after launch.

China prioritizes peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Washington’s rage for endless conflicts makes war possible, resolving nothing, risking the lives and welfare of millions of North and South Koreans if launched, Japanese ones as well.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said Moon’s government was considering deployment of strategic defense equipment in response to Pyongyang’s latest test, along with possible other response options.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo left for Washington to meet with James Mattis, HR McMaster and top US Pentagon officials, saying:

“I will discuss prospects of reacting (to the DPRK missile tests) with the US Secretary of Defense and US National Security Adviser in the White House.”

Separate South Korean meetings will be held with US Pacific Command head Admiral Harry Harris and US Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Scott Swift.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned that things are “at a tipping point approaching a crisis. At the same time there is an opportunity to reopen peace talks.”

North Korean missile and other tests are for military readiness. They’d be unnecessary if Washington engaged in responsible diplomacy with the DPRK instead of continuing decades of hostility.

America is to blame for brinksmanship on the Korean peninsula, not Pyongyang. Resolution is unattainable as long as US imperial aims remain unchanged.

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In Show Of "Lethal, Overwhelming Force" US Flies Two B-1B Bombers Over Korean Peninsula

Less than a month after the US flew two B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula to show off "US attack capabilities", the US Air Force did it again on Sunday, when it the flew two supersonic B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula in "a show of force" on Sunday after Pyongyang"s Friday test of an ICBM that can reach the continental US. The two B-1Bs flew alongside two Japanese F-2 jet fighters within Japanese airspace before conducting an exercise over South Korea with four South Korean F-15 fighters in response to the latest North Korean missile test, as well as the previous July 4 launch of the "Hwansong-14" rocket, the USAF.

"In a demonstration of ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies, two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, fly a 10-hour mission from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, into Japanese airspace and over the Korean Peninsula" the statement by Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs said.

"North Korea remains the most urgent threat to regional stability," Pacific Air Forces commander General Terrence J. O"Shaughnessy said in the statement.

"If called upon, we are ready to respond with rapid, lethal, and overwhelming force at a time and place of our choosing".

#COMPACAF--"If called upon, we are ready to respond w/rapid, lethal, & overwhelming force..." https://t.co/RYkex4wkfI #ironclad pic.twitter.com/R6Fm4hUjB4

— PACAF (@PACAF) July 30, 2017

The U.S. has in the past used overflights of the supersonic B1-B "Lancer" bomber as a show of force in response to North Korean missile or nuclear tests, most recently on July 8, although the "deterrence" of such drills leaves much to be desired.

North Korea through its state media often complains about flyovers by B-1B bombers, calling them rehearsals for a nuclear strike. On Saturday, the two B-1Bs took off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, flying alongside two Japanese jet fighters within Japanese airspace before conducting an exercise over South Korea with four South Korean jet fighters.

As reported on Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the midnight test launch of the missile on Friday night and said it was a "stern warning" for the United States that it would not be safe from destruction if it tries to attack, the North"s official KCNA news agency said adding that "all of the US is now within North Korean ICBM range." North Korea"s state television broadcast pictures of the launch, showing the missile lifting off in a fiery blast in darkness and Kim cheering with military aides.

Meanwhile, even as China said it opposed North Korea"s missile launches, which it said violate UNS resolutions designed to curb Pyongyang"s banned nuclear and missile programs, Trump slammed Beijing saying he was "very disappointed in China".

In a message on Twitter, he said: "Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!" he tweeted.

At the same time, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, meanwhile, held telephone talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Both reportedly agreed on the need to put “the heaviest possible pressure” on North Korea, AFP reported. “We confirmed that we will closely cooperate in adopting a fresh UNSC (UN Security Council) resolution, including severe measures, and working on China and Russia,” Kishida told reporters.

In a Sunday statement, North Korea said it had been forced to develop long-range missiles and nuclear weapons because of hostile intent by "American imperialist beasts" looking for another chance to invade the country.

“If the United States sticks to its military adventurism against us and super-intensive sanctions schemes, we will respond with stern action of justice as we have already declared,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement on Sunday, KCNA reported.

Japan Holds Evacuation Drills Amid Growing Concerns Over North Korea's Missile Tests

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

The Japanese are no longer taking any chances against the rogue North Korean regime and Kim Jong-Un’s insistence on the continued testing of ballistic missiles. Japan is now participating in more frequent evacuation drills in the event that they are attacked by North Korea.

Although drills of this type aren’t the first in Japan this year, they are increasing in frequency. Sunday’s evacuation drill in the town of Abu, Yamaguchi prefecture, is showing how concerned the Japanese are about a potential North Korean attack. The town of about 3,500 people some 760 km (475 miles) west of Tokyo involved a simulated North Korean missile attack. And more Japanese towns and cities are taking steps to brace for what they hope will never happen.

North Korea has been increasing the number of its missile test launches in recent months. Launching 12 so far this year and three last month, with many splashing into the Sea of Japan, the Japanese are rightly concerned. Some of North Korea’s missiles have even landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends up to 200 miles from its shores.

Tokyo has repeatedly condemned the test launches, which are in violation of United Nations resolutions, yet it’s become clear that North Korea’s volatile leader, Kim Jong-Un doesn’t care about the rules imposed upon him. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government earlier this year instructed municipalities to hold evacuation drills, heightening a sense of urgency among the public. Although security experts in Japan have said that the drills won’t save everyone, they could save some, and that’s better than not having a plan.  “It’s hard to say how many people will be saved and how much effect it will have. But, with awareness raised and basic procedure understood, the survival rate will definitely be higher,” retired Vice Admiral Yoji Koda said.

The Japanese government is actively attempting to help the public prepare for the worst by putting on its website a list of tips in case a missile lands in Japanese territory. The tips include “take shelter in a robust building nearby” and “move away from windows or, if possible, move to a room without windows.”  The government has previously stated that the Japanese public would only have ten minutes to react if North Korea launches a missile their way – minus the few minutes it would take for the government to alert the public to the attack.

The preparation by Japan is due to the short window of opportunity should North Korea attack the island nation. The Japanese in range of the so far hypothetical missile would have very little time to seek refuge, and the loss of life could be staggering. With schoolchildren also taking place in these drills, it’s safe to say that the Japanese are concerned, but not willing to take chances, especially on towns on Japan’s western coast.

Being prepared is going to help the Japanese in the event of an attack. Although Japan is refusing to panic, they also want to be prepared.  It is important to mention, however, that North Korea has not specifically threatened the Japanese, yet.  But many believe that a North Korean missile program is a threat to the nation.