North Korea Launches Missiles
North Korea recently launched 6 older scud style missiles into the sea of Japan, while also test launching their new Taepodong 2 missile which is rumoured to have long range capability. International response has been unanimously displeased.
The Taepodong 2 had been sitting on the launching pad for over a week before launch, making people nervous the world over. I've been suspicious about the reasons NK waited so long to launch, and originally suspected it was because they were unsure of the Taepodong's capability. It was worth more to them as a bargaining chip when it was a relatively unknown entity sitting on the launch pad. Now that they've tried to launch one and it exploded a few seconds after take off, it takes some of the shine off of their missile program. That said, it certainly can't be discounted as a threat, especially in the hands of such an unpredictable government.
Canada's official response has been rather muted. The military of course participates in Norad which claims to have been immediately aware of all of the launches. Goverment response however, has been lacking. Other countries, especially those with significant Asian Pacific interests have sternly condemned the launches. Australia for instance, a country with which Canada has much in common, has made significant headlines with its condemnations. In the meantime Canada, which is actually within the claimed range of the Taepodong and counts Japan, China and Korea amongst its most important trading partners, has been surprisingly quiet.