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CNN: THE SITUATION ROOM July 4, 2006

White House Confirms North Korea Fired at Least Five Missiles

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KING: Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, Barbara thank you very much for that. So what was the motivation for North Korea to conduct these test launches. CNN's Brian Todd is here with part of that story. Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, North Korea leader has been called everything from crazy to calculating. With this latest seemingly dangerous move, analysts are trying to figure out which Kim Jong-Il are we seeing now.

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TODD: Before the missile test, Kim Jong-Il appeared to have some leverage. Analysts said he might have been using the tension generated by the build-up to extract economic concessions from China, Russia, possibly even the U.S. With that now in jeopardy, experts believe Kim had several possible motivations to launch the test. One, simply to see what he had in his arsenal.

JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: The benefits of launching sooner than later are you get test data on this long range missile.

TODD: Even with the apparent technical failure of the missile, experts believe Kim may have wanted to send a signal to the world and his own people that his military capability is growing and that his hold on power is solid.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Kim Jong-Il does not have the authority his father did, Kim Il-Song(PH). And an action like this may be one way that he is trying to establish that authority and impress those around him that he is just as tough as his father was.

TODD: Another point, to steal some of the world's attention back.

PIKE: He fancies himself the world's leader of the anti imperialist struggle. But I'd say over the last six or eight months, Mr. Ahmedinejad in Iran has been getting a lot of headlines, Mr. Chavez down in Venezuela gets a lot of headlines. But nobody has been paying too much attention until recently to Kim Jong-Il and he's like everybody else, he likes to get on TV.

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TODD: Kim is also not likely intimidated by the possibility now of further sanctions according to experts. His country is already isolated, his people already starving, and one analysts says in the end he doesn't think his best ally, China, will let North Korea fall completely apart. John?

KING: Brian Todd for us. An interesting look at a fascinating -- some people use other words. Brian Todd, thank you very much. And Jack Cafferty joins us now from New York. He's been watching this all afternoon. Hey Jack.

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