A North Korean freighter load
of Scud missiles to Yemen
Thu Feb 23, 2006 15:52
Local News - UAE to Build Two big Dams in Yemen
UAE to Build Two big Dams in Yemen. By Observer Staff Feb 4, 2006 -. SANA'A - The President of the United Arab Emirates, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ...
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A North Korean freighter ferrying a load of Scud missiles destined to Yemen
The US offers no apology for its illegal seizure of a North Korean freighter in international waters. How would North Korea retaliate?
Lee Wha Rang, December 12, 2002
http://www.kimsoft.com/2002/yemenNK.htm
A North Korean freighter ferrying a load of Scud missiles destined to Yemen was fired upon and seized by US forces in the international waters near the Horn of Africa on December 10, 2002. Contrary to the Spanish and American claim that the ship was unregistered and had no national flag, the fact is that the ship was registered in Cambodia and was flying Cambodian flags when attacked.
Photo: A Spanish navy helicopter fired on the ship before lowering commandos. The unarmed ship was damaged.
She was stopped with force of arms and then boarded by Spanish commandos, who were later replaced by Americans. Stopping and boarding a civilian foreign ship in the international waters is against law - except for pirate, slave, or unregistered ships.
The ship suffered substantial damages as a Spanish helicopter fired on it. The ship's crew of 13 North Koreans were man-handled and pushed around with rifle butts. An American crew commanded by an admiral took over the ship while a special forces team searched the ship for explosives and WMD. The Americans knew that the missiles were headed to Yemen and expected the Yemenis to deny any connection with the missiles. The Americans expected North Korea holding an empty bag and standing all alone.
However, to the consternation of the Americans, the Yemeni President was enraged by this open piracy by Spain and the United States, and threatened some unspecified retaliation. He called the White House and demanded to speak to his 'friend' Bush. Instead, he was allowed to speak to Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Powell. It dawned on these Americans that the seizure of the ship was illegal, a clear violation of the International Law on Navigation. Apparently, the seizure was orchestrated by the US military under the direct onsite supervision of Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense who happened to be in the area, without any prior consultation with the US State Department.
Dick Cheney and Powell were able to make Bush realize the seriousness of Rumsfeld's reckless Rambo adventurism. Bush may have realized that Rumsfeld was a loose canon looking for nuclear war to make a name for himself at the expense of the American people, and ordered Rumsfeld to let the ship go. The Yemeni President was told by Powell not to deal with North Korea any more, to which the Yemeni shot back that Yemen is not an American slave and will do whatever it pleases.
But, by that time, Rumsfeld had the ship for two days - an ample time to examine the missiles and to plant some unpleasant surprises in the shipments and the ship. The missiles may have been tampered with, electronic bugs may have been placed, the fuel and warheads may have been compromised by the Rumfeld's boys. The ship was turned over to the North Korean crew and the Americans departed.
Even after the White House had admitted that the US navy may have violated the international law of open seas, most of the news organs in South Korea condemned North Korea and praised the heroic Spanish and US navy commandos. Instead of condemning the law violators, the victim was victimized again. In contrast, European papers condemned this naked piracy on the open seas. Likewise, Yemen and other Muslim nations came forward in defense of North Korea.
Instead of apologizing for its piracy, the United States pressed on its attack on North Korea, warning that the United States will seize, attack or sink any North Korean ship carrying weapons for export. Japan and South Korea echoed similar threats against North Korea. Lee Hoe Chang, a presidential candidate, attempted to get some extra votes by staging an anti-North demonstration in Seoul and a ship loaders' union in South Korea passed a resolution not to handle loads destined to North Korea.
North Korean reactions to the ship's seizure came swiftly. It has announced the official termination of the Agreed Framework and asked the IAEA to get out of North Korea immediately or it will be thrown out by force. Under the Agreed Framework signed in 1994, the IAEA padlocked North Korea's key nuclear installations:
(1) Yongbyon Reactor I - The construction of this natural uranium-graphite power reactor began in 1980 at Yongbyon, 100 km north of Pyongyang. It is based on a 1950 MAGNOX technology (graphite moderator, aluminum-magnesium clad natural uranium fuel , CO2 gas cooling). The reactor was completed in 1984 and it as was activated in February 1987. After many startup problems, it was operating at 20-30 MW by 1990. N Korea removed about 30 lb. of plutonium from this reactor in 1988 and built two nuclear bombs. From 1989 to 1991, N Korea may have extracted additional 60 lb. of plutonium, enough for five nukes.
(2) Yongbyon Reactor II - A 50 MW MAGNOX-type reactor was started in 1984. N Korea built a military nuclear complex next to this reactor. This complex was completed in 1989 and the reactor was tentatively activated in 1992. This reactor alone is capable of producing enough plutonium for 10-12 nukes a year.
(3) Taechon Reactor I - The construction of a 200 MW MAGNOX-type reactor was started at Taechon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang in 1988 and it was near completion when the Agreed Framework was signed.
(4) Taechon Reactor II - A 600-800 MW reactor is also underway at Taechon. This reactor could produce 180-230 Kg of plutonium a year, enough for 30-40 nukes. This reactor may be completed in a year.
(5) Simpo Reactor I - This 635mw reactor is based on a German design. In May 1989, N Korea and Germany signed a comprehensive agreement on the transfer of "substantial" amounts of German nuclear technology and nuclear weapons materials, including enriched uranium, to Pyongyang. The transfer of the German nuclear know-how has continued via Iran, Libya Syria and Yugoslavia. This reactor may be completed in 2-3 years.
(6) Yongbyon Separation Plant - A plutonium separation facility ("Radiological Research Lab") was built at Yongbyon in 1987. This plant is capable of handling several hundreds of tons of fuel a year, enough to handle fuel from all of the reactors , some 33 lb. of plutonium annually.. The plutonium factory for the nuclear weapons is a single story building constructed on top the main plutonium reprocessing facility, deep underground. In 1993, N Korea completed a second plant, doubling its capacity for plutonium production.
In addition, North Korea has Yongbyon 0.1 megawatts thermal (MW) critical assembly - This small reactor is believed to be the first nuclear reactor in N Korea. It was provided by the Soviet and went into operation in early 1960s. Its primary function is isotope production.
The total generating capacity of the above reactors is about 2,000 MW. The Agreed Framework was to complete two US-designed reactors in North Korea with an equivalent capacity by 2003 and to provide heavy oil for power generation until the completion of the US reactors. However, the US reactor construction project has fallen years behind schedule due to the delaying tactics of the US and its allies - on the premise that North Korea was about to collapse at anytime. But to the disappointment of the US and its allies, North Korea is still alive and shows no sign of imminent demise.
The intentional reactor project delay, Bush's personal animosity toward Kim Jong Il, the US threat of preemptive nuclear strikes on North Korea, Bush's cutting off crude oil, and the seizure of its ship were too much for Kim Jong Il to bear. In addition to kicking out the IAEA, North Korea has demanded the United States to compensate for the damages done to its ship and for the mistreatment of the ship's crew. The United States has not only scoffed at the North Korean demands but also, it promises more of the same 'punishments' to come.
In 1994, Kim Il Sung was forced to accept the Agreed Framework because he had no other option. At the time, North Korea had only 2-3 crude nuclear devices and neither Russia nor China was willing to put North Korea under their nuclear umbrella. Kim Il Sung stood alone with iffy nuclear deterrence against Bill Clinton's threat of nuclear attacks. Kim Il Sung had to swallow his pride and allow the IAEA to shut down his nuclear installations.
Since then, Kim Jong Il has built up North Korea's nuclear force to over 100 warheads. North Korean bomb-makers have invented laser fusion triggers for cheap, simple thermonuclear bombs and built 'poor' man's nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. North Korea has nearly one thousand missiles hidden in underground facilities or mounted on mobile launchers. Most of these are pointed at military and civilian targets in Japan, Okinawa, and the continental USA. Thus, today Kim Jong Il is in a much stronger position to face down the US threats than his father was in 1994. Kim Jong Il has a veritable nuclear deterrence - his own nuclear umbrella.
It is likely that North Korea will soon test a hydrogen bomb and also, resume testing ICBMs. A North Korean ICBM flying over Japan and the continental USA and splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean will panic George Bush and the American defense community. A hydrogen bomb test-fired in the upper atmosphere over Japan would cause a general economic and political turmoil in Japan and the United States. In the process, the explosion may destroy US spy satellites hovering over North Korea.
North Korea needs to sell its weapons to foreign nations not only for money but also to knit closer military ties, and in order to counter Bush's threat of interdiction, North Korea may arm its cargo ships with anti-ship and air cruise missiles as well as nuclear-tipped missiles. Any would-be attackers will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Yemen, Iran, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and many other nations in Arabia, Africa, Asia, and South America are potential clients of North Korea's weapons, which are cheaper to buy and easier to maintain. North Korean weapons may be crude but they are effective and lethal, nevertheless - they may not be the prettiest, but they give you the most bang for your buck.
North Korea is known to ship critical components of its weapons via Russian and other third-party cargo planes. Missiles can be disassembled and boxed in small crates for air cargo shipping. There are more than enough carriers willing to do business with North Korea. The US fear is that North Korea may start selling its nukes to other nations. A hydrogen bomb can bring in a sizable sum of money - hundreds of millions, if not more, per bomb. How much would a nation pay for a nuclear-tipped ICBM?
===============================================
Results 21 - 30 of about 730,000 for NORTH KOREA SHIP SINKS WITH MISSILES
UAE to Build Two big Dams in Yemen. By Observer Staff Feb 4, 2006 -. SANA'A - The President of the United Arab Emirates, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ...
MORE:>>
A North Korean freighter ferrying a load of Scud missiles destined to Yemen
The US offers no apology for its illegal seizure of a North Korean freighter in international waters. How would North Korea retaliate?
Lee Wha Rang, December 12, 2002
http://www.kimsoft.com/2002/yemenNK.htm
A North Korean freighter ferrying a load of Scud missiles destined to Yemen was fired upon and seized by US forces in the international waters near the Horn of Africa on December 10, 2002. Contrary to the Spanish and American claim that the ship was unregistered and had no national flag, the fact is that the ship was registered in Cambodia and was flying Cambodian flags when attacked.
Photo: A Spanish navy helicopter fired on the ship before lowering commandos. The unarmed ship was damaged.
She was stopped with force of arms and then boarded by Spanish commandos, who were later replaced by Americans. Stopping and boarding a civilian foreign ship in the international waters is against law - except for pirate, slave, or unregistered ships.
The ship suffered substantial damages as a Spanish helicopter fired on it. The ship's crew of 13 North Koreans were man-handled and pushed around with rifle butts. An American crew commanded by an admiral took over the ship while a special forces team searched the ship for explosives and WMD. The Americans knew that the missiles were headed to Yemen and expected the Yemenis to deny any connection with the missiles. The Americans expected North Korea holding an empty bag and standing all alone.
However, to the consternation of the Americans, the Yemeni President was enraged by this open piracy by Spain and the United States, and threatened some unspecified retaliation. He called the White House and demanded to speak to his 'friend' Bush. Instead, he was allowed to speak to Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Powell. It dawned on these Americans that the seizure of the ship was illegal, a clear violation of the International Law on Navigation. Apparently, the seizure was orchestrated by the US military under the direct onsite supervision of Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense who happened to be in the area, without any prior consultation with the US State Department.
Dick Cheney and Powell were able to make Bush realize the seriousness of Rumsfeld's reckless Rambo adventurism. Bush may have realized that Rumsfeld was a loose canon looking for nuclear war to make a name for himself at the expense of the American people, and ordered Rumsfeld to let the ship go. The Yemeni President was told by Powell not to deal with North Korea any more, to which the Yemeni shot back that Yemen is not an American slave and will do whatever it pleases.
But, by that time, Rumsfeld had the ship for two days - an ample time to examine the missiles and to plant some unpleasant surprises in the shipments and the ship. The missiles may have been tampered with, electronic bugs may have been placed, the fuel and warheads may have been compromised by the Rumfeld's boys. The ship was turned over to the North Korean crew and the Americans departed.
Even after the White House had admitted that the US navy may have violated the international law of open seas, most of the news organs in South Korea condemned North Korea and praised the heroic Spanish and US navy commandos. Instead of condemning the law violators, the victim was victimized again. In contrast, European papers condemned this naked piracy on the open seas. Likewise, Yemen and other Muslim nations came forward in defense of North Korea.
Instead of apologizing for its piracy, the United States pressed on its attack on North Korea, warning that the United States will seize, attack or sink any North Korean ship carrying weapons for export. Japan and South Korea echoed similar threats against North Korea. Lee Hoe Chang, a presidential candidate, attempted to get some extra votes by staging an anti-North demonstration in Seoul and a ship loaders' union in South Korea passed a resolution not to handle loads destined to North Korea.
North Korean reactions to the ship's seizure came swiftly. It has announced the official termination of the Agreed Framework and asked the IAEA to get out of North Korea immediately or it will be thrown out by force. Under the Agreed Framework signed in 1994, the IAEA padlocked North Korea's key nuclear installations:
(1) Yongbyon Reactor I - The construction of this natural uranium-graphite power reactor began in 1980 at Yongbyon, 100 km north of Pyongyang. It is based on a 1950 MAGNOX technology (graphite moderator, aluminum-magnesium clad natural uranium fuel , CO2 gas cooling). The reactor was completed in 1984 and it as was activated in February 1987. After many startup problems, it was operating at 20-30 MW by 1990. N Korea removed about 30 lb. of plutonium from this reactor in 1988 and built two nuclear bombs. From 1989 to 1991, N Korea may have extracted additional 60 lb. of plutonium, enough for five nukes.
(2) Yongbyon Reactor II - A 50 MW MAGNOX-type reactor was started in 1984. N Korea built a military nuclear complex next to this reactor. This complex was completed in 1989 and the reactor was tentatively activated in 1992. This reactor alone is capable of producing enough plutonium for 10-12 nukes a year.
(3) Taechon Reactor I - The construction of a 200 MW MAGNOX-type reactor was started at Taechon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang in 1988 and it was near completion when the Agreed Framework was signed.
(4) Taechon Reactor II - A 600-800 MW reactor is also underway at Taechon. This reactor could produce 180-230 Kg of plutonium a year, enough for 30-40 nukes. This reactor may be completed in a year.
(5) Simpo Reactor I - This 635mw reactor is based on a German design. In May 1989, N Korea and Germany signed a comprehensive agreement on the transfer of "substantial" amounts of German nuclear technology and nuclear weapons materials, including enriched uranium, to Pyongyang. The transfer of the German nuclear know-how has continued via Iran, Libya Syria and Yugoslavia. This reactor may be completed in 2-3 years.
(6) Yongbyon Separation Plant - A plutonium separation facility ("Radiological Research Lab") was built at Yongbyon in 1987. This plant is capable of handling several hundreds of tons of fuel a year, enough to handle fuel from all of the reactors , some 33 lb. of plutonium annually.. The plutonium factory for the nuclear weapons is a single story building constructed on top the main plutonium reprocessing facility, deep underground. In 1993, N Korea completed a second plant, doubling its capacity for plutonium production.
In addition, North Korea has Yongbyon 0.1 megawatts thermal (MW) critical assembly - This small reactor is believed to be the first nuclear reactor in N Korea. It was provided by the Soviet and went into operation in early 1960s. Its primary function is isotope production.
The total generating capacity of the above reactors is about 2,000 MW. The Agreed Framework was to complete two US-designed reactors in North Korea with an equivalent capacity by 2003 and to provide heavy oil for power generation until the completion of the US reactors. However, the US reactor construction project has fallen years behind schedule due to the delaying tactics of the US and its allies - on the premise that North Korea was about to collapse at anytime. But to the disappointment of the US and its allies, North Korea is still alive and shows no sign of imminent demise.
The intentional reactor project delay, Bush's personal animosity toward Kim Jong Il, the US threat of preemptive nuclear strikes on North Korea, Bush's cutting off crude oil, and the seizure of its ship were too much for Kim Jong Il to bear. In addition to kicking out the IAEA, North Korea has demanded the United States to compensate for the damages done to its ship and for the mistreatment of the ship's crew. The United States has not only scoffed at the North Korean demands but also, it promises more of the same 'punishments' to come.
In 1994, Kim Il Sung was forced to accept the Agreed Framework because he had no other option. At the time, North Korea had only 2-3 crude nuclear devices and neither Russia nor China was willing to put North Korea under their nuclear umbrella. Kim Il Sung stood alone with iffy nuclear deterrence against Bill Clinton's threat of nuclear attacks. Kim Il Sung had to swallow his pride and allow the IAEA to shut down his nuclear installations.
Since then, Kim Jong Il has built up North Korea's nuclear force to over 100 warheads. North Korean bomb-makers have invented laser fusion triggers for cheap, simple thermonuclear bombs and built 'poor' man's nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. North Korea has nearly one thousand missiles hidden in underground facilities or mounted on mobile launchers. Most of these are pointed at military and civilian targets in Japan, Okinawa, and the continental USA. Thus, today Kim Jong Il is in a much stronger position to face down the US threats than his father was in 1994. Kim Jong Il has a veritable nuclear deterrence - his own nuclear umbrella.
It is likely that North Korea will soon test a hydrogen bomb and also, resume testing ICBMs. A North Korean ICBM flying over Japan and the continental USA and splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean will panic George Bush and the American defense community. A hydrogen bomb test-fired in the upper atmosphere over Japan would cause a general economic and political turmoil in Japan and the United States. In the process, the explosion may destroy US spy satellites hovering over North Korea.
North Korea needs to sell its weapons to foreign nations not only for money but also to knit closer military ties, and in order to counter Bush's threat of interdiction, North Korea may arm its cargo ships with anti-ship and air cruise missiles as well as nuclear-tipped missiles. Any would-be attackers will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Yemen, Iran, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and many other nations in Arabia, Africa, Asia, and South America are potential clients of North Korea's weapons, which are cheaper to buy and easier to maintain. North Korean weapons may be crude but they are effective and lethal, nevertheless - they may not be the prettiest, but they give you the most bang for your buck.
North Korea is known to ship critical components of its weapons via Russian and other third-party cargo planes. Missiles can be disassembled and boxed in small crates for air cargo shipping. There are more than enough carriers willing to do business with North Korea. The US fear is that North Korea may start selling its nukes to other nations. A hydrogen bomb can bring in a sizable sum of money - hundreds of millions, if not more, per bomb. How much would a nation pay for a nuclear-tipped ICBM?
===============================================
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