(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on April 1) - Softening stand

President Lee Myung-bak has clarified that he is against responding militarily to North Korea's test-firing of a long-range rocket. Speaking for the U.S. government, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates ruled out the possibility of Washington taking military action against the North`s rocket launch.

In other words, it would not attempt to shoot it down. In Tokyo, Japanese defense authorities have apparently stepped back from their initial resolve to intercept
a North Korean rocket if it flies over its territory. Defense Minister Yasukazu
Hamada told the press that he issued an order "to prepare to destroy any object
that might fall on Japan as a result of an accident involving a flying object
from North Korea." Destroying debris from a rocket, which could mean a first- or
second-stage booster, is quite different from intercepting the rocket itself.
Judging from these statements by the top government authorities of the three
nations immediately concerned with the North's launch, Pyongyang's assertion that
it was going to fire a space launch vehicle, not a ballistic missile, seems to
have had an effect in softening their reactions.
Or at least the satellite allegation gave the three allies an excuse to take a
more flexible stand on the North's rocket adventure. President Lee emphasized in
an interview with the Financial Times that Pyongyang's test firing of a missile
or satellite served no interests for the North in the long run. He, however, did
not give a direct reason why Seoul chose not to respond militarily. Secretary
Gates rather bluntly acknowledged that the United States was "not prepared." He
said in a TV interview on Sunday: "I think if we had an aberrant missile, one
that was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it
(interception), but I don't think we have any plans to do anything like that at
this point." With this obvious change of stance among the governments of Korea,
Japan and the United States, their continuing emphasis on sanctions against North
Korea for violating the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 is losing steam.
Russia and China, two permanent members of the UNSC, have already acquiesced to
North Korea's assertion that it is a space vehicle project.
As of now, it looks somewhat difficult for Japan and the United States to reject
arguments that the turnaround of their positions resulted from their recognition
of still insufficient missile defense capabilities on their part. It could be
said that the North Koreans have again gained a lot by saying that they would
regard any interception attempt on their rocket as an act of war and would bolt
from the six-party talks, nullifying all hitherto agreements in the
denuclearization process. Whatever is being said before the rocket
launch, however, is not quite as important as what the neighboring countries
would do after it has actually been fired. The rocket, which cost a considerable
portion of the North's meager assets, could fly to Hawaii or further to Alaska
over the skies of Japan, or just fizzle out as its earlier version did.
Considering all these possibilities, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington must have chosen
what they believe is a prudent policy not to raise tensions in dealing with the
most desperate regime on earth. Their close cooperation, with Russia and China,
after the rocket launch could make North Koreans eventually realize that what
they did was wrong.
(END)