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“Nuclear Showdown” author Gordon Chang on North Korea’s successful test of a long-range rocket.
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North Korea achieving a chilling milestone it's now successfully launched its first long range missile and Iran couldn't have been happier.
It's congratulating the rogue state with officials reported to be in attendance for the launch.
So is the Iranian regime preparing to buy this dangerous technology from the north Koreans.
For insight we turn to Gordon Chang author of the book nuclear showdown North Korea takes -- on the world market welcomes the show thank you.
-- most significant about this a lot of people watching it didn't necessarily expect success.
They point to a clean separation between the second and third stages what does that mean rights import.
Will they hadn't done that before in 1998 which was their first test of a long range missile in up to today the most successful one.
They had trouble separating that the second and third stages what does that mean.
Well the you know it's a three stage rocket they've got to separated cleanly because they got to hit the trajectory and they were able to do that this time.
And they were able to put the satellite in orbit which is just astounding because.
All the indications are less couple weeks where that this was going to be another failure they didn't have enough time to analyze the mistakes they made in April interest.
Completely.
I mean that's a lot of people say is that there hasn't and not enough time has gone by for them to figure out what has gone wrong in the past.
Do you think this was lucky think they have helped -- mean yeah -- how.
Well the north Koreans are really good at engineering so they could have done this on the around but yes they probably had help.
And the only culprit that I can think of is China because China has supplied technology to North Korea's missile program in the past we saw that on April 15 where those missile launchers they came from China they were paraded in -- So you know they sold the missile launchers they probably sold the missiles because they've sold those same launchers and missiles to Pakistan.
So we shouldn't be surprised and is there.
Speaking of money you brought that up North Korea spent 3.2 billion dollars over fourteen years on weapons.
The annual per capita salary in the country is 2000 dollars.
You know I mean it's it's it's a tough comparison -- is meaningful to last though that they -- eight -- -- We'll because within a year maybe eighteen months they will be able to put a nuclear warhead on a long range missile.
And send -- to the United States and we really have no defenses for that once it's in the air it's very hard for us to shoot it down.
Which means that we don't have that much time to stop the North Korean missile program and this is an unstable regime after all this is not like the Soviet Union -- status quo power.
This is a country that is in real distress how much time -- -- we -- what's the Iranian connection.
Well the Iranian connection is that for about fifteen years or so the north Koreans and the Iranians have had a joint missile program.
Where the north Koreans develop the technology and the Iranians pay for -- So for instance the -- -- five and six of Iran are really North Korea's Taepodong missile.
And what was launched about 21 hours ago is a Taepodong variant so clearly you know of the north Koreans have sold this before there'd definitely gonna try and cellist and Iranians and it's up to us to stop it which means we might have to interdict -- It's not a -- to say they were there in attendance they're cheering them on.
You know that they would be perfect -- The Iranians have been on site for all five long range missile tests they've been on site in North Korea for the two new regular detonations these are two countries that are working very very closely together so we actually do this topic is we're not having a lot of luck stopping anything around the globe right now.
What we could impose the sanctions that we implemented in 2005.
Which we cut North Korea off from the global financial system those were extraordinarily.
Successful.
And we lifted them prematurely at the behest of China we should put those back on and of course we're gonna have to stop the north Koreans from selling missiles to Iran which means we're going to have to stop their air traffic and they're shipping.
Because we don't do that it's not -- -- North Korea with these missiles it's gonna be Iran.
Do you think it's -- we would even do that.
I'm not saying it's likely but I -- saying it's necessary because this is really one of those times.
When we're not willing to do what is absolutely required of us to protect Americans it feels like we don't have the political will to do that right now because we have so many other pots that are dwindling number of places -- trying to have some sort of influence in this sort of police are troubles but one that is obviously very meaningful.
This is perhaps the most meaningful really I don't think the north Koreans would actually launch.
But I do believe that they would try to sell it and but through all of this they're gonna spread this missile technology they were selling missile parts of the Syrians they were caught in May doing that you -- imagine if a -- had a long range missile right now.
Right absolutely are -- thank you so much really appreciate your time good insight.
The nation's.
