|
N.Korea launches missiles, UN to meet
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-07-05 12:43 JULY 4 FIREWORKS
North Korea, whose government
pays close attention to symbolic gestures, chose July 4, the day the United
States marks Independence Day, for the launch. It came just hours after the U.S.
space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Florida.
"It got everybody's
attention on the Fourth of July. (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-Il can set off
fireworks, too," said John Pike, director of the security Web site
GlobalSecurity.org.
Japan said it would consider immediate economic
sanctions against North Korea. NHK television reported that the government had
banned visits by North Korean ferries for six months.
The Japanese yen
and the South Korean won both slipped against the dollar on the launch news,
with Tokyo and Seoul stock markets also lower. In Seoul, the government said
South Korean authorities would take action if necessary.
Tokyo also
called on Pyongyang to return to six-country talks on ending its nuclear weapons
programme, which have been stalled since November.
"It is regrettable
and we protest strongly against North Korea for going ahead with a launch
despite warnings from relevant countries, including Japan," Japanese Chief
Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told a news conference in Tokyo.
"It is a
serious problem from the standpoint of our national security, peace and
stability of the international community and proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction."
In a separate incident, but underlining the tensions in
the region, Japan summoned South Korea's ambassador to demand Seoul halt a
survey of disputed waters that began earlier in the day.
South Korea
and Japan came close to a high-seas showdown in April when Tokyo said it planned
a survey in waters near a desolate outcrop of islands called Tokto in Korean and
Takeshima in Japanese, but tensions eased after talks.
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours |
|
|
|
|
