WELCOME TO NORTH KOREA

A documentary that will show you the horrors of what goes on in the "Democratic People's Republic" of Korea.  Very good reading material in the links. These views often over looked when one refers to N.korea. It is also worthy to note that although this thread does specifically say "N. Korea slams U.S. nuclear umbrella as declaration of war+, so it is evident that the U.S. has assured the S.Korean's and Japan with the full Military protection or has it ?

Now comes the interesting side of the following article,

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama was set on Tuesday to meet with the leader of South Korea, who is seeking security guarantees as a standoff escalates with nuclear-armed North Korea.
The summit comes a day after the latest show of defiance by North Korea, which said that some 100,000 people rallied to denounce a tightening of UN sanctions on the hardline communist state for testing a nuclear bomb.

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak has indicated that he wants Mr Obama, who has set a goal of abolishing nuclear weapons, to reiterate that South Korea is under the US security umbrella.
Secretary of Defence Robert Gates told Mr Lee in a meeting on Monday that the United States was committed to defend South Korea 'through all necessary means, including the nuclear umbrella,' Mr Lee's office said in a statement. The United States stations some 28,500 troops in South Korea and more than 40,000 more in nearby Japan, which has tense relations with Pyongyang.

President Lee, a conservative businessman, took over last year and - delighting many in Washington - reversed a decade-long 'sunshine policy' under which South Korea put few restrictions on aid to the impoverished

Since it has been mentioned that the U.S. will back on a military scale both Japan and S.Korea, why would S.Korea require the U.S. to confirm what has been already mentioned. Is there a distrust of the U.S. intentions as to at what level of umbrella support it would provide.

Indications are that the U.S. want nothing more to do with N.Korea apart from exchanging diplomats and words. Their trade and banking agreements throughout Asia far exceeds the necessity of military action to this date , is this what S.Korea have been slowly realizing.

Only several hours old, the news has reported what was announced by N.Korea many times. So far what N.Korea has mentioned to who ever is listening has come true to their word.

North Korea has finished preparatory work at a new launch pad for long-range missiles on its northwest coast, a report says.

Chosun Ilbo newspaper on Tuesday quoted a government source as saying the launch structure has been installed and a hangar has been completed at the Dongchang-ri launch site.

"Large girders have recently been installed and the two or three months of preparatory work at the launch pad have been completed," the source told the daily.

"However, no radar has yet been set up and no missile has been brought to the launch pad. A launch is not imminent."

The paper said satellite photos showed the structure to be about 50 metres high, meaning it would be capable of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile measuring 40 metres or longer.

The North's three previous long-range missile launches were from Musudan-ri on the east coast, where the paper said the launch structure is 32 metres high.

All indications are that they will go ahead with the launch and there is no turning back, unless, that is, one of three things happen prior to the launch.

1) China and or with Russia begin talks to halt what ever nuclear armed program they are exploring.

2) N.Korea is acknowledged the right to explore nuclear advancement for energy exploration.

3) A preemptive strike on all missile sights by the U.S. coalition (Aisan) to halt any further advancement of missile testing.