June 22, 2006 /

U.S. -VS- South Korea

First we get this story from 9:19 am this morning: South Korea’s defense minister said Thursday that Seoul believes North Korea’s missile launch is not imminent despite concern in the region that the communist nation would test-fire a long-range missile.  “It is our judgment that a launch is not imminent,” Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung told […]

First we get this story from 9:19 am this morning:

South Korea’s defense minister said Thursday that Seoul believes North Korea’s missile launch is not imminent despite concern in the region that the communist nation would test-fire a long-range missile.

 “It is our judgment that a launch is not imminent,” Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung told a parliamentary meeting in comments confirmed by his ministry.

Worries over a possible North Korean launch have grown in recent weeks after reports of activity at the country’s launch site on its northeastern coast where U.S. officials say a Taepodong-2 missile — believed capable of reaching parts of the United States — is possibly being fueled.

Then an hour later, this report comes out:

North Korea is far along in its preparations for a test of a long-range ballistic missile and the United States hopes the North Koreans will “give it up and not launch,” a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters it remained uncertain if North Korea actually planned to conduct a test-firing of the missile, which Washington has warned would be seen as a provocative act.

“I think what we’ve said publicly is we’re watching it very carefully and preparations are very far along. So you could, from a capability standpoint, have a launch. Now what they intend to do … of course we don’t know. What we hope they will do is give it up and not launch,” he said.

WOW – are you dizzy yet. Who do we listen to on this? South Korea is saying the test is not “imminent” yet our government is saying they are “far along” in preparations. So which government should we trust?

Wait – which government has a recent history of a major intelligence failure that lead to the invasion of a sovereign nation?

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