海角大神

North Korea听put its agreement with the听United States for food aid into jeopardy today with a plan for firing off a long-range missile with a satellite as payload.

North Korea鈥檚 state media said the听launch would coincide with massive celebrations surrounding the April 15 centennial of the birth of 鈥淕reat Leader鈥� Kim Il-sung, who ruled for nearly half听a century before dying听in听1994 and leaving power to his son, Kim Jong-il, who died in December.听听

罢丑别听鲍厂, Japan,听补苍诲 South Korea denounced the North Korean plan, revealed after a series of visits by Kim Jong-il鈥檚 third son, the North鈥檚 fledgling new 鈥渟upreme leader鈥� Kim Jong-un, to military units just above the demilitarized zone that has divided the two Koreas since the Korean War.

The plan for firing the missile again escalates听regional tensions after hopes were听raised听in听Washington by the US-North Korea 鈥渓eap year鈥� deal of Feb. 29. 听South Koreans have been highly skeptical of the deal, widely viewed as a North Korean attempt at deceiving the听US听while bypassing the South.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted at the damage that the launch of another long-range missile could do to the agreement with听North Korea听under which the听US听is to provide 240,000 tons of food aid. US envoy Robert King was just in Beijing working out details for shipments, but Ms. Clinton warned that听a missile launch would 鈥減ose a threat to regional security and would also be inconsistent with North Korea's recent undertaking to refrain from long-range missile launches."

The view here is that a missile launch could derail the program, at least until more US-North Korea talks.

The North Korean announcement evoked memories of similar launches in August 1998 and April 2009 that听North Korea听insisted had put satellites into orbit. Analysts say no satellites were detected, and听that the actual purpose was to test the North鈥檚 Taepodong missile's potential for carrying a weapon of mass destruction, nuclear, biological, or chemical, as far as Hawaii听or听Alaska听鈥� or even the听US听West Coast.

鈥淚f these guys go through with long-range missile testing, of course the听US听will听have to revisit the food shipments,鈥� says Lee Jong-min, dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at听Yonsei听University. 鈥淵ou can never trust what these people say.鈥�

Doubts in South Korea have increased in recent days as Kim Jong-un has urged soldiers to be on high alert,听primed to 鈥渨ipe out鈥� South Korea鈥檚 regime, led by 鈥渢raitor鈥� President Lee Myung-bak. South Korean officials have basically shrugged off such talk, but the government said a North Koreean听missile test, under the pretext of launching a satellite, would be "a grave provocation."

North Korea is on a fearsome propaganda campaign widely seen as an effort to build up Kim Jong-un as a military figure. In North Korean rhetoric, Kim Jong-un is often compared to his grandfather in fighting spirit as well as physical appearance, and he鈥檚听credited with having approved the missile test of April 2009 and听a second nuclear test in May 2009.

Under the circumstances, 鈥淐ontroversy will arise,鈥� says Kim Tae-woo, president of the Korea Institute for National Unification. 鈥淭he听US听will have to postpone food aid. It should not be allowed.鈥�

Ha Tae-keung, president of North Korea Open Radio, which broadcasts news, commentary, and music for two hours every day into听North Korea听by short wave from Seoul, sees the missile test as a possible prelude to a nuclear test later this year. He puts the testing in the context of US politics.

鈥淜im Jong-un is testing the听US听before the presidential election,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey听are going to see how the US and South Korea听respond.鈥�

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