...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...n ballistic missile after Pyongyang said this week it was ready to launch its first military spy satellite.
Placing the satellite into orbit would require a long-range projectile, which North Korea is banned from launching as the United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
views such exercises as tests of ballistic missile technology.
On Saturday Japanese minister Yasukazu Hamada told the country's Self-Defense Forces "there is a possibility of ordering destructive measures against ballistic missiles and others", according to a statement from the ministry of defence.
Hamada instructed troops to "implement measures necessary to limit damage in the event of a ballistic missile falling."
He ordered preparations for the deployment of destroyers equipped with SM-3 missile interceptors, as well as military units in the southern prefecture of Okinawa that can operate Patriot PAC-3 missiles.
G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan on Tuesday demanded North Korea refrain from any further ballistic missile tests following a spate of launches this year.
The group of rich nations also warned Pyongyang against carrying out an expected nuclear weapons test and said there would be a "robust" response if it did not comply.
A week ago Pyongyang said it had successfully tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, hailing it as a breakthrough for the country's nuclear counterattack capabilities.