North Korea Artificially Inflating Tensions

There’s already an Iranian satellite flying over the United States. Do we need a North Korean one?

SEOUL, March 18 (Reuters) – North Korea, which suffers from chronic food shortages and where some people are believed to be on the brink of starvation, has rejected food aid from the United States, the U.S. State Department said.

North Korean guards have detained one or more American journalists near the country’s border with China, South Korean media have reported.

The news comes amid increasing strains on the peninsula. Pyongyang is angry at Seoul and Washington’s annual joint military drill, while the latter fear the North is planning to launch a ballistic missile next month.

WASHINGTON – U.S. military officials confirmed Thursday that North Korea has filed an official notice that it intends to conduct a missile launch early next month.

North Korea claims the purpose is to launch a satellite into space, but the Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told a congressional hearing this week that if the launch is successful it would mean for that for the first time North Korea would have the capability to launch a ballistic missile that could reach the continental United States.