The highly anticipated missile launch from North Korea finally took off last Thursday night at 6:39 P.M. EDT. However, 81 seconds into the launch, the missile exploded mid-flight and crash landed off the coast of South Korea. The failure was confirmed by U.S. radar stations after they detected a larger than normal flare, and could no longer see the rocket on several screens. The U.N. also announced that at no point was the missile a threat to any country in the region. Although there was no real threat present, with the launch, North Korea violated international law and contravened on their own commitments. Because of the launch, the U.S. is halting the shipment of food aid to the country. The White House is very concerned with the reaction North Korea is going to have about this situation. The missile was supposed to be in celebration of the 100th birthday of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, and prove to the U.N. their military power. This failure is nothing but a complete embaressment to North Korea, and we don't know how they will react.
I think that the U.S. is right in not sending food aid. They completely broke the promise they had made to halt any missile tests. I'm glad the White House is showing resistance to North Korea instead of sending them the food, regardless of what happened. Though the U.N. has said the missile was no threat, you can't help but be relieved that it failed. It just shows how weak they still are, and how much advancements they still need to go through. Depending on how they react, I think the U.N. should continue peace talks with the country in order to avoid a lethal retaliation.
No comments:
Post a Comment