North Korea Test Fires Six Missiles; Launch of Long-Range Missile Fails Within Seconds

North Korea test-fired a long-range missile and five shorter-range missiles early Wednesday (July 5th), according to CNN, in a move the U.S. called a,
quote, "provocation," but not an immediate threat. However, the long-range Taepodong-2 missile, which is the isolated communist nation's most advanced, failed some 35 seconds after launch. The other missiles all landed in the Sea of Japan between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launches began at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday local time, which was about 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

The launch came after weeks of speculation that North Korea was readying to test fire the Taepodong-2, and after warnings from the U.S. and Japan not to do so. The U.S. said it was urgently consulting with other U.N. Security Council members after the launches, which President Bush sees as an act of defiance of the international community by North Korea, Reuters cited a senior administration official as saying. Japan has previously threatened economic sanctions if there was a missile launch.

North Korea shocked the world by testing its first long-range missile in 1998, which flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. Until these new launches, it had observed a moratorium on long-range missile firings since 1999.

How do you think the U.S. should react to these test launches by North Korea?

Doug Hagmann from the Northeast Intelligence Network stops by with info on "Who's" funding North Korea's Nuke program HERE.

Frank J. Gaffney stopped by with his assessment of the North Korean situation and what he feels the Bush administration response should be. He is a former Reagan administration Assistant Secretary of Defense , current president of the Center for Security Policy and a columnist for The Washington Times. His latest book is War Footing (Naval Institute Press, 2005).