N. Korea Says Rocket Launch to Proceed.....

[MMC]

North Korea says it is using the rocket to launch a satellite to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the country's founding ruler and grandfather of the current ruler.

Political analysts say the launch, which would violate U.N. resolutions on the heavily sanctioned state, is aimed at boosting the legitimacy of its young new ruler Kim Jong-un who inherited power after his father's death in December.

Washington, which last month agreed to supply North Korea with food in exchange for a suspension of nuclear tests, missile launches and uranium enrichment and to allow nuclear inspectors into the country, called the planned launch "highly provocative".

The new launch is due to take place between April 12-16, to coincide with Kim Il-sung's centenary celebrations and will coincide with parliamentary elections in South Korea.
Japan has said it would consider deploying PAC3 missile interceptors as it did in a 2009 launch by North Korea.

The North has invited foreign observers and journalists to attend the launch.....snip~

http://news.yahoo.com/defiant-north-korea-says-rocket-launch-ahead-071048754.html
Reuters – 5 hrs ago<<<<< More Here!

Looks like we got duped again.....Obama agreed to give them food if they agreed to quit nuclear testing. Now that they have Obama's word. They turn around and state they are launching a missile to put a satelite in space. Technically this launch was already in the works and set to take place with the S. Korean Elections. So it is not like the North is pulling some rabbit out of the hat here. Moreover the launnch is not Nuclear and the North invited the press to the launch plus Foreign Observers.(tho Not named)

Which in reporting on such an issue. Shouldn't they be listing who those Observers are?

[Conley]

Well if they do that then we'll just stop the food delivery. I don't understand why the sanctions have led to such a famine but that's for another thread I suppose. Anyway, Son of Dear Leader is going to learn the hard way you can't have your cake and eat it too (and it definitely looks like he's a fan of cake).

[ramone]

(and it definitely looks like he's a fan of cake).

Don't worry , Barry will have moochelle put him on a diet by next year. Right after she outlaws candy for the rest of us.

So NK can put a satelite in orbit and we are hitching rides with foreign countries to get there. Doesn't say much for us does it?

[MMC]

Seems China is letting them hear an earful over this. A bit more vocal than normally.

[waltky]

North Korea missile test launch 'fails'...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/oldicons/icon16.gif
Tue, 31 May 2016 - North Korea has attempted to fire a ballistic missile off its east coast but the launch appears to have failed, South Korean military officials say.


It is unclear what type of missile it was, but it follows three failed tests of the medium-range "Musudan" missile in April. The North is banned by the UN from using any ballistic missile technology. Tensions have run high in the region after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January and numerous missile tests. Also on Tuesday, the newly promoted vice-chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers Party, Ri Su-yong, arrived in China for what South Korean media said was an unannounced official visit.


http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/6011/production/_89839542_89839540.jpg

China is North Korea's closest ally and trading partner, but ties have been strained by the nuclear test and weapons activity. It is the first visit since the Worker's Party congress earlier this month in North Korea, the first in 36 years. Mr Ri, who was travelling with a large entourage, would likely be briefing China on other major developments at the congress, in an attempt to rebuild the relationship, said Yonhap.

'Breakthroughs'

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the attempted launch happened at 05:20 local time (20:50 GMT Monday) off the North's east coast, near the city of Wonson. A report in the Yonhap news agency quoted sources saying this fourth failed test may also have been of a Musudan missile. A Musudan missile, in theory, has the range to reach Japan and the US territory of Guam, however the North has never successfully tested one.

During the party congress, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un extended an offer of military dialogue to the South. But Seoul dismissed the proposal as insincere. At the same meeting, Mr Kim also vowed to continue with the nuclear weapons programme. Pyongyang has claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in recent months, including miniaturising a nuclear warhead to fit on a missile, that experts have treated with scepticism.

North Korea's rocket launches (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36414914)

[MMC]

North Korea missile test launch 'fails'...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/oldicons/icon16.gif
Tue, 31 May 2016 - North Korea has attempted to fire a ballistic missile off its east coast but the launch appears to have failed, South Korean military officials say.

So they did launch another.....and fail. A couple of days ago S Korea said they were getting ready to fire off another. They will try again and the 5th will fail.

Then Lil Kim and N Korea needs to go mute for awhile. Tone down all that sabre rattling. As its clear......they can't back up, what comes out of their mouth.

[Peter1469]

It blew up on the launch pad I believe.

[Tahuyaman]

It blew up on the launch pad I believe.

It's not the first time.

Didn't one circle around like a boomerang or something close to that about ten years ago?

[waltky]

Granny says Obama needs to whomp lil' fatboy upside the head...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_grandma.gif
North Korea Says Missile Launch Was Mock Nuclear Attack on U.S. Defense System
July 20, 2016 - Test-firing is Pyongyang's latest protest over plan to deploy advanced Thaad system in South Korea


North Korea said on Wednesday that the three ballistic missiles it tested a day earlier were mock nuclear-missile attacks on a planned U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea, in its latest protest over the facility. The three missiles were launched from Hwangju, south of Pyongyang, between 5:45 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. Seoul time Tuesday. One flew 500 kilometers (311 miles) and another 600 kilometers (373 miles) before crashing into the sea off the country’s east coast, according to a South Korean military statement, which said the third missile’s trajectory was still being examined. The U.S. Strategic Command also confirmed the North’s “launch of two presumed Scud tactical ballistic missiles, followed by the presumed launch of a Nodong intermediate-range ballistic missile approximately an hour later.” The Scuds have all of South Korea within range, and the more powerful Nodong—also called Rodong—is capable of reaching Japan. Patriot missile defenses already stationed in South Korea are able to counter the relatively low-tech Scuds.


https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-OZ727_nkmiss_P_20160720032003.jpg
A man walks by a TV screen in Seoul showing the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles on Tuesday.

Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said early Wednesday North Korea’s ballistic-rocket units had simulated their “pre-emptive strikes at ports and airfields in the operational theater in South Korea, where the U.S. imperialists nuclear war hardware is to be hurled” in the drill a day earlier under the guidance of leader Kim Jong Un himself. “Kim Jong Un expressed great satisfaction over the successful drill” that KCNA said had “examined the operational features of the detonating devices of nuclear warheads mounted on the ballistic rockets at the designated altitude over the target area.” Photos published online Wednesday by the North’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun show him beaming, looking up at soaring missiles and sitting at a desk with a large map showing the possible missile trajectories from the North to the South’s southern coast.

Pyongyang has avidly sought to master technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead to mount on its rockets. But it is difficult to verify the North’s alleged success in the latest nuclear missile test independently because the country is one of the world’s most closed societies. Most experts believe that Pyongyang is not yet capable of mounting nuclear warheads on its rockets. U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines often visit South Korean southern ports, including Busan, Ulsan and Jinhae, for missions. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in the southern part of the Korean peninsula--a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War. The Joint Chiefs of Staff office in Seoul condemned the launch and said the Scud missiles’ flight distances were “long enough to hit any targets in South Korea.” The Nodong missile is said to have a range of over 1,300 kilometers, putting most of Japan within range. United Nations Security Council resolutions bar ballistic-missile activities by North Korea.


https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-OZ725_nkmiss_P_20160720030949.jpg
A photo released by North Korea's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Wednesday showing a ballistic missile being fired during a drill at the Hwasong artillery units of the North Korean Army's Strategic Force.

The test came six days after South Korea picked Seongju, about 180 kilometers south of Seoul, as the site for an advanced U.S. missile-defense system. Seoul and Washington have agreed to deploy the system, known as Thaad—for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense—before the end of 2017 to better protect the South from North Korean missiles. Pyongyang responded by threatening “physical counteraction.” “North Korea’s ballistic-missile launches today have something to do with its warning” last week to take action against the planned Thaad deployment in the South, a Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman told a press briefing Tuesday. He said the South is closely watching the North’s moves. The missile-defense battery is designed to detect and destroy incoming North Korean missiles, but Beijing strongly opposes its deployment in South Korea because the system’s powerful radar can scan not only North Korean but also Chinese territory.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-lobs-three-missiles-into-the-sea-1468910465

Related:

From Pyongyang with love: North Korea restarts coded spy broadcasts
Wed Jul 20, 2016 - "Now we'll begin a mathematics review assignment for members of the 27th expeditionary unit of the distance learning university," the woman's voice crackled over the radio. "Turn to page 459, question 35; 913, question 55; 135, question 86."


Isolated North Korea has restarted coded radio broadcasts, presumed to be targeted at its spies, for the first time in 16 years this month, South Korea said on Wednesday. The messages, a recording of which was broadcast by South Korean TV channel KBS, were disguised as a mathematics lesson for distance learners and reappeared on North Korean radio station Voice of Korea in the early hours of Friday. North and South Korea are still technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and tensions are running high.

North Korea, which has carried out a string of rocket and nuclear weapons tests in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, said on Wednesday it had conducted a ballistic missile test that simulates strikes against South Korean ports and airfields used by the U.S. military, apparently referring to three missile launches on Tuesday. Those missile launches were seen as a show of force a week after South Korea and the United States chose a site in the South to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system to counter threats from the North.

FOR YOUR SPIES ONLY

The radio messages, also known as numbers stations, work by broadcasting strings of seemingly random numbers over shortwave signals to an agent in the field. The technique, a method of sending one-way secret messages, dates to the French Resistance in World War Two and is still in use by some governments today. South Korea jams most North Korean radio frequencies but Pyongyang-based Voice of Korea broadcasts on shortwave signals which can be picked up far beyond the Korean peninsula, and are difficult to jam.


http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20160720&t=2&i=1146279137&w=644&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&sq=&r=LYNXNPEC6J0L0
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 3rd Meeting of Activists in Fisheries under the Korean People's Army (KPA) in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang

The receiving agent, armed with a radio and a pen, uses an easily concealed pad with corresponding letters on it to listen to and decrypt the secret message. "(North Korean) numbers broadcasts have been on hold for quite some time but have recently resumed, something we think is very regrettable," Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman for South Korea's unification ministry, told a media briefing on Wednesday.

It was not clear whether the signals were meant to deceive or deliver genuine instructions. "I can't speak to their intentions, but we hope that the North will refrain from an old practice like this and behave in a manner that's conducive to improving South-North ties," Jeong said.

Seoul has also operated a numbers station, former agents told Reuters in 2013. Officials at the National Intelligence Service were not immediately able to confirm their use. South Korea's station is known as "V-24" to amateur radio enthusiasts who have tracked the source of the signal to a location somewhere south of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, and has been known to begin with a scratchy rendition of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 8.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-spies-idUSKCN1000ZB

[waltky]

Why is North Korea testing nuclear weapons?...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
North Korea's Nuclear Threat Growing after Largest Test
Sep 10, 2016 | North Korea's nuclear threat has grown significantly, following its latest and largest nuclear test and a series of missile launches, analysts say, with some South Korean newspapers even speculating about an atomic attack on Seoul.


The South Korean capital stayed calm Saturday, with residents immune to near-daily threats from their neighbor, but newspapers and analysts saw Friday's test as a game-changer. With a force of 10 kilotons, the blast was two-thirds the size of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in August 1945. It took place just eight months after the previous detonation. More importantly, the North claimed it had successfully tested a nuclear warhead that could be mounted on a missile. The nuclear program has been accompanied by a series of ballistic missile launches, including from a submarine.


http://images01.military.com/media/global/newscred/kim-jong-un-re-durante-un-simulacro-de-lanzamiento-de-misiles-de.jpeg
North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong-Un with a few of his military advisers.

Given that Friday's test was the most powerful in terms of yield and that the time lapse from the previous test was shortened, "the North's nuclear capability is believed to have been sophisticated to a considerable degree and being developed at an increasingly faster pace," South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se told senior ministry officials. The world must now "cautiously accept the reality" that the North could launch a nuclear attack by missile, said analyst Jeung Young-Tae of the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), although the range of such a nuclear-tipped missile remained unclear.

The North's announcement of its test indicated they had tested the bomb that would arm their missile units, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey. "And that's a big deal," he wrote in an article entitled "North Korea's nuke program is way more sophisticated than you think", for the website of Foreign Policy magazine. "In the past, we've treated North Korean nuclear tests as temper tantrums or political demonstrations."

- 'Not completely insane' - (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/10/n-korea-nuclear-threat-growing-largest-test-analysts.html)

See also:

North Korea's Largest Nuclear Test Draws Global Condemnation
9/09/2016 - The blast, on the 68th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, was more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, according to some estimates.


North Korea conducted its fifth and biggest nuclear test on Friday and said it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile, ratcheting up a threat that its rivals and the United Nations have been powerless to contain. The blast, on the 68th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, was more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, according to some estimates, and drew condemnation from the United States as well as China, Pyongyang’s main ally. Diplomats said the United Nations Security Council would discuss the test at a closed-door meeting on Friday, at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea. Under 32-year-old dictator Kim Jong Un, North Korea has accelerated the development of its nuclear and missile programs, despite U.N. sanctions that were tightened in March and have further isolated the impoverished country.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, in Laos after a summit of Asian leaders, said Kim was showing “maniacal recklessness” in completely ignoring the world’s call to abandon his pursuit of nuclear weapons. U.S. President Barack Obama, aboard Air Force One on his way home from Laos, said the test would be met with “serious consequences,” and held talks with Park and with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the White House said. China said it was resolutely opposed to the test and urged Pyongyang to stop taking any actions that would worsen the situation. It said it would lodge a protest with the North Korean embassy in Beijing. There were further robust condemnations from Russia, the European Union, NATO, Germany and Britain.

North Korea, which labels the South and the United States as its main enemies, said its “scientists and technicians carried out a nuclear explosion test for the judgment of the power of a nuclear warhead,” according to its official KCNA news agency. It said the test proved North Korea was capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a medium-range ballistic missile, which it last tested on Monday when Obama and other world leaders were gathered in China for a G20 summit. Pyongyang’s claims of being able to miniaturize a nuclear warhead have never been independently verified.

Its continued testing in defiance of sanctions presents a challenge to Obama in the final months of his presidency and could become a factor in the U.S. presidential election in November, and a headache to be inherited by whoever wins. “Sanctions have already been imposed on almost everything possible, so the policy is at an impasse,” said Tadashi Kimiya, a University of Tokyo professor specializing in Korean issues. “In reality, the means by which the United States, South Korea and Japan can put pressure on North Korea have reached their limits,” he said.

UNPRECEDENTED RATE (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/north-korea-nuclear-test-condemnation_us_57d2a93de4b03d2d4599dcbb?ir=WorldP ost)

Related:

North Korea nuclear test: Is it important?
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 - North Korea has carried out another nuclear test. It is the country's fifth and sparked global indignation. Why is it important?


North Korea has carried out what appears to be its largest ever nuclear test, sparking global indignation. This is the country's fifth test. Why are the North Koreans doing it, and why is it important?

Why now?

Well, there have been some reasons given by the North Koreans themselves - and then there are some that need to be read between the lines:

* Officially, it was a demonstration of the "toughest will" of the Korean people to show they can retaliate to an attack by enemies. It was also a show against the "racket of threat and sanctions" that the nation has suffered at the hands of the global community via the UN

* Then came the technical reasons - to hone the ability to put nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles (although many experts still doubt this has been effectively achieved)

* And finally it was a show of national "dignity", an important concept in North Korea backed up by the fact it came on National Day, a traditional time to show off military muscle

Unstated, but clearly obvious, was anger at US and South Korean plans to install an anti-missile defence system in the South, along with the traditional lambasting of the annual US-South Korea joint military exercises.

Why does it matter?

North Korea is an isolated communist nation run by an unpredictable 32-year-old "supreme leader" with his hands on an unspecified nuclear arsenal and seemingly immune to any global pressure to give it up. Kim Jong-un's aggression and invective show no sign of abating. If anything they are getting worse. The North's southern neighbour- still technically at war with the North because the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a treaty - and Japan are particularly nervous.

The North has also often stated its aim of targeting the US.
What next?

The US and Russia have already indicated that there will be more discussions at the UN. A resolution of condemnation is one course of action, given that no nation on the Security Council is likely to block it. There have already been five sets of UN sanctions and more may well be on the agenda, such as blocking the export of fuel oil to North Korea, but how effective they would be is unclear. China's response will be the most important. It has to balance opposition to the North's nuclear actions with a desire not to destabilise its volatile neighbour.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37319008

[Ransom]

Why all this 'provocation?' Iran buzzing about US warships. Russian jets pulling Top Gun antics. North Korea firing rickets. Beyond the ISIS and al-Qaeda and 5000 troops back in Iraq, and Syrian decay. Look to China, Russia, Iran, no one appears respectful any longer. Why?

[Peter1469]

The provocation is not new.

[Mac-7]

Why all this 'provocation?' Iran buzzing about US warships. Russian jets pulling Top Gun antics. North Korea firing rickets. Beyond the ISIS and al-Qaeda and 5000 troops back in Iraq, and Syrian decay. Look to China, Russia, Iran, no one appears respectful any longer.


Why?

Because Obumer is a weakling that bad guys around the world neither respect or fear

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey need to do sumpin' `bout Fatboy a-fore he blows uppa world...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_grandma.gif
North Korean Threat Changes Timelines for US Moves
Sep 24, 2016 | The increasing threat from North Korea means that decisions about moving U.S. forces away from the front lines, and transferring operational control to the South, must be driven by conditions -- not timelines -- the U.S. Eighth Army commander said.


Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal said the much-delayed relocation of the bulk of U.S. forces in Korea to regional hubs south of Seoul is finally on track, with most major units expected to be in place by early 2018. But the 210th Field Artillery Brigade will remain near the heavily militarized border with North Korea for the foreseeable future. The Combined Forces Command and USFK headquarters also will maintain a residual force at the Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison in Seoul. "Right now, it's conditions-based moves," Vandal said in an interview Thursday with Stars and Stripes at his office at the military's headquarters in Yongsan. "That is because of the criticality of having the counter-fire capabilities to the north."

Vandal, who is also the chief of staff for USFK and the Combined Forces Command, said the artillery brigade and supporting forces will remain at Camp Casey at least until 2020, according to an agreement with the South Korean government. But the trigger for the move will rely on the ability of the South Korean military to fully take over the positions. That would include having and being able to operate a comparable multiple-launch rocket system capable of defending against the North's massive arsenal. Pyongyang has raised the stakes this year by conducting two nuclear tests and stepping up the pace of its missile launches as the Communist country marches toward its stated goal of developing an nuclear weapon that could reach the U.S. mainland.


http://images03.military.com/media/global/dictator.jpg
A North Korean defector in the border town of Paju, South Korea, prepares to release a banner into the air on Sept. 15 that denounces North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The advances prompted South Korea to agree to allow the U.S. to deploy a high-altitude missile defense system known as THAAD. The military has missed many deadlines and been forced to scale back efforts to relocate most U.S. troops to regional hubs south of Seoul. It also has put on hold plans to transfer wartime operational control to South Korea, originally scheduled for 2012, then 2015. Under the current arrangement, the South is in charge of its own troops during peacetime, but U.S. commanders would take charge of all combined forces if war breaks out with North Korea.

Vandal said USFK has been working with South Korea's military to develop its core capabilities so it could be fully responsible for its own security. "I would anticipate sometime in 2025 time frame, but again we're not tied to a specific time; we're tied to the conditions," he said. He said the $10.7 billion program to expand Camp Humphreys to accommodate an eventual population of 42,000 is finally shifting from the construction phase to the move phase, pointing out that the Republic of Korea is covering 92 percent of the cost. He said the Eighth Army headquarters will be in place by next July and the 2nd Infantry Division by January 2018. The 6th Medical Brigade also will move next summer, he said.

MORE (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/24/north-korean-threat-changes-timelines-us-moves.html)

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Trump gonna settle Fatboy's hash...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_grandma.gif
North Korea says nuclear development 'permanent'
Jan. 3, 2017 - Pyongyang’s state newspaper defended the policy as a deterrent against the United States’ military "threats."


North Korea's Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun stated Tuesday the country's policy of developing nuclear weapons while simultaneously pursuing economic growth remains unchanged. Two days after Kim Jong Un had said in his televised New Year's speech Pyongyang is ready to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, state media announced the country's policy of "Byongjin" is a permanent feature, South Korean news agency Newsis reported.

The statement appears to have been issued for propaganda purposes and to muster support for Kim's ambitions to raise North Korea's profile as a "nuclear power," according to the press report. "North Korea's resolve is always soon placed into practice," Pyongyang's statement read. "[Our] resolve is always truthful and scientific, and must be placed in action at all costs...the Party's path of Byongjin must be permanently held in hand, and not as a temporary countermeasure that copes with a sudden change in the state of affairs."


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/upi_com/UPI-8601483452855/2017/1/cfcaf0c43c50a701c81e31079394d4c5/North-Korea-says-nuclear-development-permanent.jpg
No. Korea war games on invading the So. Korea

The North Korean newspaper also stated Kim's speech pointed out the "pivotal" role of nuclear power in the face of the "nuclear threat and intimidation of the United States and its followers." "We will continue to reinforce [nuclear power] for defense purposes," Pyongyang said in statement.

The Rodong article also linked nuclear weapons development to the North Korean people's capacity to "live with ten thousand blessings in a socialist state." The weapons represent the "most just, scientific route" for the society, the statement read. On New Year's Day, Kim had vowed to develop Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal and to continue the policy until the United States stops military drills in South Korea.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/03/North-Korea-says-nuclear-development-permanent/8601483452855/?spt=sec&or=tn

See also:

Seoul: Trump's tweets are clear warnings to North Korea
Jan. 3, 2017 -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's tweeted response to North Korea's statement on missile development is a warning to Pyongyang, Seoul said Tuesday.


South Korea's foreign ministry spokesman Cho Joon-hyuk told reporters Trump's tweets, sent out on Monday, were the first messages the president-elect has issued directly addressing North Korea, South Korean news service News 1 reported. "President-elect Trump's messages can be interpreted as a clear warning, regarding Kim Jong Un's New Year's Day speech and the statement on intercontinental ballistic missiles," Cho said.

On Monday, Trump tweeted, "North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!" Trump then tweeted, "China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won't help with North Korea. Nice!"

The president-elect has previously said Beijing has done little to assist the United States in controlling North Korea's weapons proliferation, a statement that has invited speculation about his future North Korea policy and his approach to China, a country that has been cooperating on tougher sanctions.


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/upi/UPI-2231483464084/2017/1/d929eab2240b5d164d4b70c45d9cd4d0/Seoul-Trumps-tweets-are-clear-warnings-to-North-Korea.jpg

Cho added Seoul is cooperating closely and is in "strategic communication" with Trump's transition team as well as the current administration of President Barack Obama. Beijing has yet to issue a response to Trump's social media statements, but on Monday state tabloid Global Times listed the "Korean peninsula" as the top site of a possible military conflict in 2017.

Beijing's state media claimed the peninsula cannot be ruled out as a place of conflict during Trump's presidency, and warned of a military response if Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen continues to strengthen notions of Taiwanese independence from the mainland. Under the "one-China policy" Beijing does not recognize Taiwanese sovereignty.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/03/Seoul-Trumps-tweets-are-clear-warnings-to-North-Korea/2231483464084/?spt=sec&or=tn

Related:

State Department: North Korea not capable of tipping missile with nuclear weapon
Jan. 3, 2017 -- The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it does not believe Kim Jong Un has the capability to place a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.


The statement comes a few days after the North Korean leader announced his country is ready to test an intercontinental ballistic missile. Department spokesman John Kirby made the statement the same day the White House said nothing has changed in its assessment of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, Yonhap reported. North Korea sent shockwaves around the world after Kim said in a televised statement on Sunday the country is almost ready to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-9951483496026/2017/1/14834961843937/State-Department-North-Korea-not-capable-of-tipping-missile-with-nuclear-weapon.jpg

Kim also vowed to continue the development of the weapons as long as the United States remains committed to holding military exercises on the Korean peninsula. On Tuesday Kirby said the U.S. military stands ready deter Pyongyang's biggest threats, owing to a policy of rebalancing in the Asia-Pacific. "There is a military component to the Asia Pacific rebalance that the United States has pursued, and we have the majority of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific region," Kirby said. "We've moved special radars into place."

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said there was "no change" in the assessment of North Korea's nuclear and missile development, and any changes in the assessment would come from the intelligence community. Seoul is taking North Korea's weapons program seriously and is to launch in 2017 a special unit assigned to strike the North Korean leadership, two years ahead of schedule, according to Yonhap. "We are planning to set up a special brigade with the goal of removing or [at least] paralyzing North Korea's wartime command structure [in the face of escalating threats]," Han said.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/03/State-Department-North-Korea-not-capable-of-tipping-missile-with-nuclear-weapon/9951483496026/?spt=sec&or=tn