North Korea: The real danger

The real danger of North Korea is not the Taepodong-2 missile which reportedly failed on launch. It is rather their large short-range arsenal which can hit anywhere in South Korea and most of Japan, including US bases in Hokkaido and Okinawa. The media has ignored this threat.

Notice also that China has not condemned the July 5 launches as strongly as they could have. That's for two reasons. The first is that China stands to gain geopolitically by being the only one who can call everyone to the table. They become indispensible, and they like that. The second reason explains their reticence along with Russia at the UN Security Council: money. Both countries count North Korea as a lucrative market for military technologies, etc.

Pray that the Lord would restrain the North Korean personality cult and cut him off. Pray that terrorists would no longer find a supplier for nuclear and missile technology in North Korea. Pray for freedom for the struggling Christian church in North Korea that is heavily persecuted. Ask God to hide defectors as they get information and people out of North Korea to freedom.

The following as well as the map image excerpted from the free July 11 report from Strategic Forecasting:

"North Korea is intending again to trade its missile launches for concessions from its neighbors and the United States. Testing six short- and intermediate-range Hwasong and Nodong missiles -- the real bulk of North Korea's missile force -- would allow the country's military to learn more in a single day about their own capabilities and upgrades than they had in the entirety of the preceding decade.

"It is these overlooked missiles that are the true face of North Korean missile technology. Pyongyang's Nodong missiles have the capability of reaching most of Japan, including U.S. bases in Okinawa. North Korea has more than 100 of these mobile missiles, making them an extremely valuable commodity. And its short-range Hwasong series can strike anywhere in South Korea and potentially parts of Japan.

"But North Korea always has an extra ace up its sleeve: geography. If the issue were only between North Korea and the United States, Pyongyang would have been ignored into submission years ago. But while its Taepodong-2 failed, its regional missiles proved quite effective. And
neither Seoul nor Tokyo can feel as confident as Washington that North Korea really won't do something too crazy if left to stew in its own isolation. When Washington turns a deaf ear, Pyongyang pokes Tokyo and Seoul -- and when they cry out, the United States is drawn back in.

"And until a new option is found to be effective, it seems that Beijing is destined to benefit -- as the only voice that can soothe the savage North Korea."