[/caption]When leaders of developed countries was gathering this week seeking for a more stable and regulated global economy, they also had to pay attention to the rattling from another hemisphere in the days leading to the North Korean rocket launch. And when Pyongyang took action, at last, on Sunday, the issues that concern global leaders the most are not only the present economic security but also the ever-present nuclear security.
Notwithstanding Pyongyang's claim that its rocket was carrying a communications satellite using for space exploration, a peaceful purpose, others including Tokyo, Washington and Seoul argued last week that the launch would violate the UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and thus raise a potential security confusion in not only the Korean Peninsula but also north Asia. This resolution claims North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile, resulting from its launch of seven missiles into water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on July 5th 2006 and its nuclear test in October of that year.
These opposers, including Kevin Rudd, believed that this time's rocket was an upgraded version of the Taepodong-2 tested unsuccessfully in July 2006, which could reach Alaska or even Australia's Darwin, and even though the payload was a satellite, the multi-stage rocket technology and guidance systems used to place the satellite into orbit were the same with those of intercontinental ballistic missiles; therefore, its launch breached the UN Resolution 1718. That's the reason why the launch has raised so much fear of mass destruction weapon proliferation and the leaders of those countries seemed to have held their nerves cautiously.
On the contrary, North Korea used this launch to establish of a legal basis of the Outer Space Treaty that it signed in March. The Treaty guarantees that any nations have freedom of outer space exploration and scientific investigations. While Washington and its allies in Tokyo and Seoul strongly believed that the launch was really a test for a ballistic missiles, Russia indicated that 'it would be more cautious and even sympathetic to the view that a satellite launch did not infringe Resolution 1718' (@ The Australian newspaper). So it is possible that Moscow might put a veto to any ban of UN Security Council against Pyongyang.
On this issue, Japan was likely the most nervous one. First, Japan prepared to launch its own counter-missile attack to shoot down any rocket out of its sky. There were two Aegis destroyers with ship-to-air missiles in the Sea of Japan last week. Ground-to-air missiles were also deployed for intercepting any incoming rocket. However, Japan took no action as North Korea's rocket flew over its main island because no debris seemed to fall towards its territory. Secondly, Japanese government was criticised for issuing two false alarms the day before the actual launch. This mistake was raising concerns among its opposition politicians about the government's infant crisis management.
Japanese action prepared to show any aggressive stance on this issue indicated not only the approach taking on its self-defence but also its concerns over the North Korea's potential of being a nuclear-capable power. And this possibility is a dangerous implication for not only Japan but also the Western, which would need to take more active and serious approach to reach the consensus of nuclear disarmament.
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