BREAKING: North Korea starts assembling LONG RANGE MISSILE

So there's no turning back now. They will launch it.

[link to www.spacewar.com]

North Korea starts assembling long-range missile: report
PANMUNJOM, South Korea, June 3 (AFP) Jun 03, 2009
North Korea appears to have begun assembling a missile believed capable of striking US soil, a report said Wednesday as tensions rose along the land and sea border with the South.

The communist regime of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has defied international criticism of its second nuclear test by firing a volley of short-range missiles and threatening to attack the capitalist South.

It is now said to be preparing to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile as well as several medium-range missiles.

The North is believed to have started putting together a long-range missile that may be a modified version of the Taepodong-2 which it fired over Japan in April, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo daily reported Wednesday.


And another development...

[link to www.spacewar.com]

Japan's LDP backs preemptive strike capability against NKorea
TOKYO, June 3 (AFP) Jun 03, 2009
The defence panel of Japan's ruling party Wednesday said that despite its pacifist constitution, it should be able to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea to stop any imminent attack.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s defence policy committee also argued Japan should develop new spy satellites to provide advance warning of a missile launch without having to rely on US or other allies' intelligence.

The defence debate -- sensitive in Japan and East Asia because of Japan's past wartime aggression -- follows communist North Korea's latest nuclear and missile tests, which have sharply heightened tensions in the region.


That would piss off China... So maybe to avoid Japan building up it's military, China will take out North Korea before they launch?