NK Missile Failures

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered a massive investigation into researchers working on the country’s missile development program out of outrage over the recent series of failed missile launches. Here’s more.

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North Korea has launched Musudan missiles eight times this year alone. The South Korean military says that all but one of them, the one that was launched in June, ended in failures. An organization of North Korean defectors has said that Kim Jong-un, outraged by the series of failures, has ordered State Security Minister Kim Won-hong to strictly censor experts on missile weapons development starting this month. The North has formed a special task force comprising of officials from the Workers' Party's Censorship Department, the Ministry of State Security and the Defense Security Command. Its mission is to find out the cause of failed missile firings by investigating the second Natural Science Academy and missile plants. Sources say that the North Korean regime is also investigating the possibility that South Korea and the U.S. intervened in the North's missile test on October 20th, which ended in an explosion.

[Soundbite] Kim Heung-kwang(North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity) : "We were told that the regime is investigating the missileexperts' ideological attitude and their possible missteps.It's also investigating if someone tried to disrupt its missile tests."

Seoul has stepped up its military readiness in light of the high possibility of additional launches of Musudan missiles.

[Soundbite] Chung Jun-hee(Spokesperson, Ministry of Unification) : "The government is closely watching the situation andthoroughly preparing for any provocations on Pyongyang's part."

With less than a week left before the U.S. presidential election, the North Korean leader has been trying to strengthen his rattled position by firing additional missiles.