N.Korea Deploys More Long-Range Missiles, Seoul Says

[Khephra]

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has deployed additional long-range missiles capable of reaching Japan, the South Korean Defense Ministry said Saturday, adding to concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

With tensions high on the peninsula, the ministry also said North Korean artillery had been brought closer to Seoul.

"Recently, the North has deployed one additional Rodong missile battalion to reinforce military capabilities and has moved forward 170 mm and 240 mm cannon, increasing its threat to the South's metropolitan area," the ministry said in a white paper on defense policy.

In a rare incident, the North fired on an observation post in the Demilitarized Zone, the peninsula's fortified frontier, Thursday, raising tension just as Pyongyang appeared set to return to talks on its nuclear ambitions.

more................

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3118933

[Nottingham]

1. This is Escalating!

:bounce:

[NNN0LHI]

2. I think they are getting ready to test something bigger than a MOAB soon?

Just a guess though.

Don

[Pale_Rider]

3. The Cheney Cartel needs ....

... those North Korean off-shore oil deposits. Hallibutron has already secured South Korean oil fields back in March 2002.

HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES WINS MULTIPLE OFFSHORE KOREA CONTRACTS WITH THE KOREA NATIONAL OIL CORPORATION
http://www.halliburton.com/news/hesnws_032502.jsp
DALLAS, Texas - Halliburton Energy Services, a business unit of Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), recently won several contracts with the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) to provide drilling fluids, drilling bits, coring services, MWD (measurement-while-drilling) and directional drilling operations, and bundled subsea well completion services. Contract work is scheduled to take place in the Donghae-1 Gas field offshore Korea, the country’s first commercial oil and gas development project. In the final planning stages, the project will consist of three subsea wells connected back to a production platform and pipeline to the gas plant onshore. ....

If there's oil in South Korea, then most likely there's mo' oil in the North. Shit, just like with Iraq, can't sell to the North Koreans. Oh, well we'll just circumvent with another US sponsored take-down and take-over.

Wonder if there is any North Korean oil maps in the Cheney's energy papers? Inquiring minds would like to know ...

[chenGOD]

4. Except that the South can and will sell to the North.

The South has continued to invest in North Korea for the duration of the "crisis". China also is not opposed to dealing with them, nor is Russia.

Of course I'm sure economic sanctions are being planned by the US.

[Pale_Rider]

5. Well obviously the South brought in Halliburton ...

... under a PSC (Production Sharing Contract) to do oil exploration and exploitation. I would think that Halliburton would probably be prohibited by US law in engaging in trade with North Korea even if they used the South as a middleman.

Economic sanctions being planned? North Korea economic sanctions have been in place for quite some time.
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/17337.pdf

[chenGOD]

6. Sorry I was unclear in my parent post...

I meant the push for international (not US)sanctions of the kind we saw against Iraq.

If Seoul does find oil off their shores, I think they will sell to the North. I think they should too. I didn't mean halliburton selling. And I think the contract that Haliburton entered into the oil will belong to the South Korean government. At least that's how it looks from the description in your first post.

[Pale_Rider]

7. Yep international sanctions ....

... though it really seems the 'push' is more like an extension of US sanctions. Anyway, if this is a PSC (Production Sharing Contract) Halliburton could be entitled to a percentage of the oil production, kinda like royalities.

But I don't see the North Koreans having enough hard cash anyway to purchase oil from the South. There would have to be a restart of the US agreement that essentially offered North Korea with a pair of 'safe' nuclear reactors and oil shipments.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002-12-16-clinton-nkorea_x.htm

Clinton urged President Bush to work with China, Japan and other nations to pressure the North Koreans on the nuclear issue.

The White House said Friday that Bush intended to stick with a diplomatic approach to the crisis and ruled out military action to shut the reactor.

Under the 1994 deal with the Clinton administration, North Korea froze its nuclear program in return for a promise of two safer light-water reactors. It also received a guarantee of 500,000 tons of heavy oil annually until the reactors are built.

Washington halted the oil shipments after U.S. officials said in October that the communist country had acknowledged having a uranium enrichment program to build atomic weapons.

North Korea said last week it will resume operation and construction of its reactors. It said it considered the agreement dead because of delays in the delivery of the reactors, initially planned to be completed by 2003. U.S. officials anticipate at least five years of delay.

I can see why the Cheney Cartel killed this deal. 500K tons of heavy oil a year until the reactors are built.

[chenGOD]

8. The reactors were supposed to be finished by 2003.

They had delivered up until 2002. If maybe they had actually started the construction on the LWRs when they were supposed to have, they wouldn't have had to kill the deal in the end. When it comes to foreign policy and this administration, no-one knows what the fuck is going on, but I guess that could be one reason the Cheny cartel could have killed the deal. "No profit!!!? What's the Point?" I can hear the board meetings now.

I dunno for sure, but I'm willing to bet that South Korea would sell the oil to the North at very favorable terms. They want to re-unite their country, and they know that economic integration is the way to go.