Saturday, July 04, 2009

North Korea Launches 7 Missiles


The man in the platform shoes is grooming his son to take over by teaching him how to launch missiles:
North Korea's recent belligerence, in the view of many analysts, is related to a succession process underway in Pyongyang. The country's leader, Kim Jong Il, is 67 years old and has appeared frail and weak since suffering a stroke last summer.

He is believed to be positioning his third son, Jong Un, 26, to take over as leader. The nuclear test, multiple missile launches and frequent threats of war, analysts say, may be a way of demonstrating that Jong Un would be a strong leader who would resist outside pressure, as his father has done.

North Korea has threatened to launch another long-range missile. But it is believed to need at least several days of preparation before a launch, and no such preparations have yet been observed, according to military officials in Seoul. WaPo