Following the failed 2006 Taepo Dong-2 (TD-2) missile launch, North Korean media remained quiet, which the Open Source Center (OSC) assessed as normal North Korean behavior. According to the OSC, “Pyongyang has a long record of delaying official pronouncements on a variety of sensitive topics, particularly those that involve the US. For example, when North Korea launched its TD-1 on 31 Aug 98, it issued “a low-level, tacit admission two days after the launch followed by its official policy pronouncement four days later, which characterized the event primarily as S&T related with the potential for military application.” In stark contrast, North Korea touted its 2009 launch on the same day with North Korean media labeling it as a “successful satellite launch.” Equally unusual was North Korea’s first announcement of a planned launch approximately 1 1/2 months prior to the actual event – an unprecedented occurrence. Continuing its unprecedented behavior, North Korea formally notified the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization on 12 Mar it would launch a satellite between 04 – 08 Apr, and submitted two closure areas that corresponded to potential 1st and 2nd stage impact areas. Following the 05 Apr launch, it also reported on Kim Jong-il’s visit to the launch site and released photos of the visit on 06 Apr.
Publication Information
Sin, Steve S. 2009. “Contributing Factors to North Korea’s Different Treatment of 2006 and 2009 Missile Launches.” United States Forces Korea Open-Source Media Analysis Report.