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Should the world worry about North Korea?
North Korea has confirmed the launch of another short-range missile off North Korea's east coast. How should the world respond?
The country has conducted a nuclear test and fired several missiles this week.
In another development, North Korea warned of "self-defence" measures if the UN Security Council imposed sanctions over the nuclear test.
Chinese fishing boats are reported to be leaving the tense inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea after North Korea's threat of military action.
Do you live in the region? How should the international community react? Is North Korea right to go ahead with nuclear testing? What does this test mean for the region?
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Published:
Monday, 25 May, 2009, 05:49 GMT
06:49 UK
All comments as they come in
Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 11:10 GMT
12:10 UK
Should the world worry about North Korea? Let's see... a psychotic dictator has just acquired his first nuclear bomb... I should think so! We need to make sure that he never presses the button.
[Graphis], London, United Kingdom
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:56 GMT
11:56 UK
The US and the UK only have them selves to blame for any proliferation of nuclear weapons after attacking Iraq on a whim. Countries around the world will now try to obtain such weapons to prevent any future attacks.
[load_of_politics], United Kingdom
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:55 GMT
11:55 UK
The US has interests like every country in the world but is hated more than any other for trying to obtain them. When US wins a war it obtains both its interests and democracy in the country. Imperial Japan or Soviets would leave a nation of slaves. All Europe, Asia, Australia would be dictatorships post WW2 if not for US interest. US may have some tyrant allies and may turn against them according to its interests. The more power a nation has the more it will be used to secure it's interest
Paul Hargrove, Alexandria, United States
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:49 GMT
11:49 UK
""Oh, learn what "genocide" means before you spout off.
Dale Rider, USA "
Killing of innocent civilians?
Eva Curtis, Vancouver, Canada"
Wrong Eva! It's the massacre of people based on their ethnicity, religion, race or nationality, the major one of course being religion.
Kutz power to the people, Northampton, United Kingdom
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:48 GMT
11:48 UK
Something of an irony, if that which we feared for so long, a nuclear war, was started by one of the few "Communist Kingdoms" (have you noticed that the socialist states degenerate in to hereditary rule?) left.
The Chinese either have to take responsibilities seriously, and disarm their client, or accept that World War Three can erupt on their borders.
Desiderius Erasmus, The Land That Time Forgot
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:46 GMT
11:46 UK
It will have to stand in line - I'm kind of backed up on my 'worry list'
[iwontdrinkthewater]
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:41 GMT
11:41 UK
"Oh, learn what "genocide" means before you spout off.
Dale Rider, USA "
Killing of innocent civilians?
Eva Curtis, Vancouver, Canada
No. "Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group." Just killing innocent civilians does not qualify as genocide.
Get real, N.Korea is a serious threat. I'm not a fan of the US, but please take your ideolgical blinkers off once in while.
Prof Cynic, Japan
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:30 GMT
11:30 UK
5 feet Kim has a problem: If the Chinese stop backing him, his 1960´s army couldn´t defend his amenities. So he tries to get himself a nuclear weapon. This does not lead to a nuclear war in Korea unless someone invades N-Korea. But if he sells nuclear material to anyone for cash, we will be in really serious trouble. I guess, the mullahs in Iran are watching this with quite some interest. Something must be done, quickly, or we may face a city being wiped out (by Osama, Achmed or Kim or )
Philipp, Regensburg, Germany
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:17 GMT
11:17 UK
Nizam Yagoub i'm afraid your lack of WWII knowledge is becoming plain for all to see - it must be your rabid anti US feelings taking over?
you say '... Pearl Harbour was a legitimate military target in times of war...'
Japan and the US were not at war until AFTER Pearl Harbour
and as other posters have pointed out far more German civilians were killed in the bombing of Hamburg etc than killed by the two nukes on Japan
Muffin the Mule, here's MIRV!
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:11 GMT
11:11 UK
It's just me, but I'm responding by having breakfast and ignoring North Korea. What they do in their country is none of my business, and what I do at my breakfast table is none of theirs.
I'm sure there are a lot of countries ready to invade them though. Hopefully they'll think twice as Korea is armed with more than sticks and stones (relatively) like some countries that've been invaded in the last few years.
Joe, Niagara Falls, Canada
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 10:06 GMT
11:06 UK
"...Let's blame the North Koreans for what the North Koreans do.
Mind blowing, isn't it? Rob K., Arkansas, USA"
Yes Rob, it is.
North Korea did nothing more than you did over 1000 times without any consideration or consultation.
So where your moral high ground came from? The argument that that is not America is not good enough.
Tibor TK, Neuss
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 09:47 GMT
10:47 UK
Right. Because we all know that if the USA did something, they would be cheered by the world as heroes. And then we'd have to clean up after all the flying pigs. BTW, where are the UK/EU on this?
Pete Comas, New York Cit
The US has appointed itself "World Policeman" even though it is not. Crack on and waste US lives on something it shouldn't involve itself with, like it did in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq etc etc. The problem is that it drags its allies into its invasions wasting their soldiers lives
Tony Caban, Hayling Island, United Kingdom
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 09:24 GMT
10:24 UK
"Except the US. In the pre-election republican race, 9 out of 10 supported a nuclear strike on Iran...One of them was John "Bomb bomb bomb Iran" McCain, nearly President of the US.TD, UK "
McCain lost the election by a large margin because of his recklessness which he revealed by choosing Palin and by making several foolish remarks. So rejoice, obviously US voters noticed and rejected his poor judgement.
Blanka Smenkilla
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 09:24 GMT
10:24 UK
Why are Americans sitting around? Why are you? Why is it always our job to save the world and your job to criticize us if we do or don't?lievce
[DesktopJennifer], Austin, Texas, United States
Why is it people from the US believe that they saved the world? They entered both WW1 and 2 for their own reasons, they and all the allied armies won, they did not do it by themselves.
In recent times (from the 50's on) they have made a mess from Vietnam to Iraq. No saving going on.
Tony Caban, Hayling Island, United Kingdom
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Added:
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 09:16 GMT
10:16 UK
my name is Sena, frm Africa.
i totaly disagree the north korea, be'cos this will create a hipe problem to the community in that AREA whereby health and other crisis may generate. moreover, the future of the world may affect by global worming ,in a sense that air born disease and most especially the osome layer of the sky may wipe off b'cos of the chemical released into the atmospher.
PLEASE LET US LOVE THE EARTH AND LET AVOID AND RULLY AGAINST THE LUNCHING OF MISSILE OF THE NORTH KOREA ARME
Sena Gasu, Takoradi, Ghana
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