Diesmal geht es leider nicht um Kriegsrhethorik, sondern um handfeste Beweise für eine tatsächliche Kriegsvorbereitung des landesverräterischen Ri-Myong-Bak-Regimes und seiner US-imperialistischen Herren. Lest es selbst.
S. Korea announces new missile range deal with U.S. covering all of N. Korea
By Chang Jae-soon
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea announced a new missile agreement with the United States on Sunday that allows Seoul to develop longer-range ballistic missiles capable of striking all of North Korea with stronger warheads, a breakthrough amid constant threats from the communist nation.
The agreement, known as the "missile guideline," calls for extending the maximum range of South Korean ballistic missiles from the current 300 kilometers to 800 kilometers, a distance long enough to reach the northern tip of North Korea, presidential security aide Chun Yung-woo said.
The new deal also allows South Korea to load its ballistic missiles with warheads heavier than the current limit of 500 kilograms on the condition
that their ranges decrease in proportion, another key part of the agreement known as a "trade-off" clause, he said.
It also increased the maximum load weight for a South Korean unmanned aerial vehicle to 2.5 tons from the current 500 kilograms. This is also considered significant because unmanned aircraft can be loaded with weapons for attacking purposes.
"The most important purpose our government placed on revising the missile guideline lies in deterring armed provocations by North Korea," Chun told reporters. "We will secure effective and various means to incapacitate North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities and safeguard the lives and safety of our people if North Korea launches armed attacks."
The agreement is expected to significantly strengthen Seoul's deterrence against the North. Ballistic missiles with the extended range would put the whole of North Korea within reach if they were launched from South Korea's central city of Daejeon.
Should missiles be launched from bases closer to North Korea, such as Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul, they still can strike the whole of North Korea, but with heavier payloads, thanks to the "trade-off" clause.
Warheads of up to 1.5 tons can be put on missiles if the range remains at 300 km, Chun said.
He also said that South Korea can strike all currently existing North Korean missile bases with missiles with ranges of at least 500 km, but Seoul sought to further extend the range to prepare for North Korea building new missile bases.
The missile guideline is not subject to parliamentary approval as it is technically a voluntary policy declaration by Seoul. South Korea and the United States first signed the agreement in 1979 after Washington asked for it over concern about missile proliferation.
The deal initially put a 180 km cap on the ranges of South Korean missiles. The limit was extended to 300 km when the deal was last revised in 2001 in exchange for Seoul's accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an international anti-missile proliferation regime.
The maximum payload weight has remained at 500 kg from the beginning.
"Our government reaffirms that it will faithfully comply with norms of the international missile nonproliferation regime MTCR, and maintain maximum transparency in missile development in the future," Chun said.
Since last year, Seoul and Washington have held negotiations to rewrite the agreement set to expire at the end of this year.
South Korea's missile capabilities pale compared with North Korea's.
The communist nation has actively pursued missile development, along with nuclear weapons development. The country is believed to have more than 1,000 short-, medium- and long-range missiles. Experts say the North's most advanced Taepodong series missiles could even reach part of the U.S.
Pyongyang has honed its missile technology through a series of long-range missile or rocket tests, including one last April. Pyongyang claimed the April lift-off was a satellite launch, but drew strong international condemnation as it was believed to be a cover for testing missile technology.
North Korea is banned from any ballistic missile testing under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Whenever the North tested long-range missiles, calls spiked in South Korea for extending its missile range, with some hard-line conservatives describing the missile agreement as "humiliating" and even demanding that Seoul scrap it altogether.
Pyongyang is expected to denounce the new missile deal as it has long accused Seoul and Washington of plotting to invade the country while claiming their joint military exercises are a rehearsal for invasion.
South and North Korea share the world's most heavily fortified border. The two sides are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea to help deter North Korean aggression.
S. Korea announces new missile range deal with U.S. covering all of N. Korea
By Chang Jae-soon
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea announced a new missile agreement with the United States on Sunday that allows Seoul to develop longer-range ballistic missiles capable of striking all of North Korea with stronger warheads, a breakthrough amid constant threats from the communist nation.
The agreement, known as the "missile guideline," calls for extending the maximum range of South Korean ballistic missiles from the current 300 kilometers to 800 kilometers, a distance long enough to reach the northern tip of North Korea, presidential security aide Chun Yung-woo said.
The new deal also allows South Korea to load its ballistic missiles with warheads heavier than the current limit of 500 kilograms on the condition
that their ranges decrease in proportion, another key part of the agreement known as a "trade-off" clause, he said.
It also increased the maximum load weight for a South Korean unmanned aerial vehicle to 2.5 tons from the current 500 kilograms. This is also considered significant because unmanned aircraft can be loaded with weapons for attacking purposes.
"The most important purpose our government placed on revising the missile guideline lies in deterring armed provocations by North Korea," Chun told reporters. "We will secure effective and various means to incapacitate North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities and safeguard the lives and safety of our people if North Korea launches armed attacks."
The agreement is expected to significantly strengthen Seoul's deterrence against the North. Ballistic missiles with the extended range would put the whole of North Korea within reach if they were launched from South Korea's central city of Daejeon.
Should missiles be launched from bases closer to North Korea, such as Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul, they still can strike the whole of North Korea, but with heavier payloads, thanks to the "trade-off" clause.
Warheads of up to 1.5 tons can be put on missiles if the range remains at 300 km, Chun said.
He also said that South Korea can strike all currently existing North Korean missile bases with missiles with ranges of at least 500 km, but Seoul sought to further extend the range to prepare for North Korea building new missile bases.
The missile guideline is not subject to parliamentary approval as it is technically a voluntary policy declaration by Seoul. South Korea and the United States first signed the agreement in 1979 after Washington asked for it over concern about missile proliferation.
The deal initially put a 180 km cap on the ranges of South Korean missiles. The limit was extended to 300 km when the deal was last revised in 2001 in exchange for Seoul's accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an international anti-missile proliferation regime.
The maximum payload weight has remained at 500 kg from the beginning.
"Our government reaffirms that it will faithfully comply with norms of the international missile nonproliferation regime MTCR, and maintain maximum transparency in missile development in the future," Chun said.
Since last year, Seoul and Washington have held negotiations to rewrite the agreement set to expire at the end of this year.
South Korea's missile capabilities pale compared with North Korea's.
The communist nation has actively pursued missile development, along with nuclear weapons development. The country is believed to have more than 1,000 short-, medium- and long-range missiles. Experts say the North's most advanced Taepodong series missiles could even reach part of the U.S.
Pyongyang has honed its missile technology through a series of long-range missile or rocket tests, including one last April. Pyongyang claimed the April lift-off was a satellite launch, but drew strong international condemnation as it was believed to be a cover for testing missile technology.
North Korea is banned from any ballistic missile testing under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Whenever the North tested long-range missiles, calls spiked in South Korea for extending its missile range, with some hard-line conservatives describing the missile agreement as "humiliating" and even demanding that Seoul scrap it altogether.
Pyongyang is expected to denounce the new missile deal as it has long accused Seoul and Washington of plotting to invade the country while claiming their joint military exercises are a rehearsal for invasion.
South and North Korea share the world's most heavily fortified border. The two sides are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea to help deter North Korean aggression.