N. Korea missile aimed at Hawaii
 

TOKYO (Reuters) - A North Korean missile launched on Wednesday was aimed at an area close to Hawaii, a Japanese newspaper reported on Friday.

Experts estimated the Taepodong-2 ballistic missile to have a range of up to 6,000 km, putting Alaska within its reach. Wednesday's launch apparently failed shortly after take-off and the missile landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, a few hundred kilometres from the launch pad.

But data from U.S. and Japanese Aegis radar-equipped destroyers and surveillance aircraft on the missile's angle of take-off and altitude indicated that it was heading for Hawaii, the Sankei Shimbun reported, citing multiple sources in the United States and Japan.

North Korea may have targeted Hawaii to show the United States that it was capable of landing a missile there, or because it is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific fleet, the paper said.

A separate report in the Mainichi Shimbun daily cited U.S. and Japanese government officials as saying a piece of the Taepodong-2 missile fell off immediately after take-off, strengthening the view that the launch was a failure.

North Korea intentionally fired a missile at a U.S. state?

Isn't that an act of war under international law? I'm not sure I understand this. It's very bizarre.

It's impossible to figure out what that regime is thinking.:shrug:

They can aim or fire a missile anywhere at the USA and Bush can't do a damn thing. (see my reply on the "remove Kim Jong Il" thread for my explanation)

Even if a missile reached there is no intelligence coming out to suggest a warhead is primed. All Bush can do is send ships and aircraft out to try and shoot them down.