The Hindu : North Korea test-fires missile

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 11, 2003

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North Korea test-fires missile

By P. S. Suryanarayana

BEIJING March 10. Accentuating the U.S. ``double standard'' in treating Iraq and North Korea,

both of whom have been profiled by Washington as ``proliferators'', Pyongyang today test-fired a short-range anti-ship cruise missile.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or the North) explained, too, why it recently intercepted American reconnaissance planes in international airspace.

According to the DPRK, America's aggressive postures and its military exercises with South Korea, had left Pyongyang with no option but to intercept the U.S. planes with a view to sending across a political message.

The anti-ship missile test, the second of its kind in recent weeks, has been confirmed by Japan and South Korea, with Tokyo tending to treat this as no immediate threat to peace and stability in East Asia.

The reason is that the latest test is not reckoned to be one involving a ballistic missile.

On a separate plane, Japan has endorsed the U.S. war-like moves against Iraq at this juncture on the ground that these might prompt Baghdad to disarm voluntarily.

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