• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=        OCTOBER 16, 1998
TYPE=        EDITORIAL
NUMBER=      0-08009
TITLE=       EDITORIAL: NORTH KOREAN MISSILES
CONTENT=THIS IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL BEING RELEASED FOR BROADCAST 
OCTOBER 16, 1998.
ANNCR:
THE VOICE OF AMERICA PRESENTS DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW ON A WIDE 
VARIETY OF ISSUES.  NEXT, AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
VOICE:
    NORTH KOREA ANNOUNCED ON OCTOBER 5TH THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO
TEST MULTI-STAGE LONG-RANGE MISSILES.  ON AUGUST 31ST, IN A 
HIGHLY DESTABILIZING MOVE, NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED A TAEPO DONG 1 
MISSILE OVER JAPANESE TERRITORY, REPORTEDLY IN A FAILED ATTEMPT 
TO ORBIT A SMALL SATELLITE.  IN TALKS WITH NORTH KOREAN OFFICIALS
EARLIER THIS MONTH, U.S. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE 
ROBERT EINHORN STRESSED THAT THE U.S. SHARES JAPAN'S DEEP CONCERN
ABOUT THAT MISSILE LAUNCH.
    THE TAEPO DONG 1 MISSILE HAS A RANGE IN EXCESS OF 
ONE-THOUSAND FIVE-HUNDRED KILOMETERS.  NORTH KOREA'S PROGRAM 
POSES A RISK TO COUNTRIES WITHIN RANGE OF ITS BALLISTIC MISSILES,
WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF CARRYING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.  IT 
ALSO THREATENS COUNTRIES IN OTHER REGIONS WHERE NORTH KOREAN 
MISSILE TECHNOLOGY IS EXPORTED.  THE U.S. HAS MADE CLEAR ITS 
OPPOSITION TO NORTH KOREA'S EXPORT OF MISSILES AND RELATED 
TECHNOLOGY.  
    NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE PROGRAM, ITS SIZABLE MILITARY, AND ITS 
INFLAMMATORY THREATS OF WAR AGAINST ITS NEIGHBORS ARE OF GRAVE 
CONCERN TO ALL EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC NATIONS.  THE U.S. HAS 
COMMUNICATED THE SERIOUSNESS OF ITS CONCERNS ABOUT NORTH KOREA'S 
MISSILE PROGRAM.  THE U.S. HAS ALSO COMMUNICATED ITS 
DETERMINATION TO SAFEGUARD THE SECURITY OF U.S. FORCES IN 
NORTHEAST ASIA.  THE U.S. IS NO LESS DETERMINED TO SAFEGUARD THE 
SECURITY OF ITS FRIENDS AND ALLIES, INCLUDING TWO OF AMERICA'S 
CLOSEST ALLIES, SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN.
ANNCR:
    THAT WAS AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF THE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT.  IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE WRITE TO EDITORIALS, 
V-O-A, WASHINGTON, D-C, 20547, U-S-A.  YOU MAY ALSO COMMENT AT 
WWW-DOT-VOA-DOT-GOV-SLASH-EDITORIALS, OR  FAX US AT (202) 
619-1043.  
15-Oct-98 3:06 PM EDT (1906 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.