2006 North Korean Missile Test - Overview

Overview

The missiles were launched from the Musudan-ri Missile Test Facility, and all of the missiles reportedly landed in the Sea of Japan, 500–600 kilometers west of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, in international waters about 100 kilometers south of the Russian cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka. It was also reported that two missiles landed in Russian territorial waters. Only the Taepodong-2 was launched from Musudan-ri. The Scuds and Nodongs were launched from Gitdaeryung, Anbyun, and Kangwon-do. (Also spelled as Kitdaeryung, as in the table of launch in next section)

The United States State Department has said that the Taepodong-2 missile failed in mid-air after about 42 seconds of flight and probably continued for 2 minutes in total. The first missile was launched Wednesday, July 5 at 03:33 KST (= July 4 18:33 UTC) and the next two at 04:04 and 05:01 local time, respectively. The first launches came minutes before the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery in Florida (July 4, 14:37 EDT = 18:37 UTC). Some have speculated that the medium-range missile tests were used as decoys to divert attention from the Taepodong-2 missile. The range of the missile was often estimated to be 6000 km, capable of reaching as far as Alaska. However, analysts in South Korea often put the range at no more than 2,400 miles (or less than 4000 km), which, as far as U.S. interests are concerned, means the missile could reach Guam or possibly the sparsely inhabited western tip of the Aleutian Islands.

East Asian stock markets were shaken by the launches, with investors expressing concerns that moves like this could lead to a future conflict in the Southeast and East Asian areas. Crude oil prices have also risen since the missile tests.

Many experts believe that the timing, which was in the very early hours of July 5 in Korea, but midday of July 4 in the United States when space shuttle Discovery was about to lift off, was deliberate to get attention from the United States, and possibly an attempt for one on one talks rather than the six party talks regarding North Korea's nuclear capabilities.