22 Minutes

How long is 22 minutes?
The amount of time it takes to bake a frozen pizza.
The amount of time it takes to run three miles.
The amount of time it takes to watch an episode of Seinfeld on DVD.
The amount of time it takes for talks between North and South Korea to break down.

The two Korea's held direct talks yesterday for the first time in over a year, lasting a measly 22 minutes. The talks come at a particularly tense time in peninsular relations. North Korea has kicked out international inspectors, reopened its nuclear production sites, and test fired (unsuccessfully) an ICBM.

The topic of these talks was the Kaesong Industrial Complex; a collaborative South Korean business park located in North Korea, using workers from both Korea's. The North Korean delegation walked out after only 22 minutes following a South Korean delegation question about the status of a South Korean Kaesong worker who had been arrested for supposedly criticizing North Korea.

In other North Korean news, Dear Leader Kim Jong Il has finally made a very public appearance after eight months of seclusion following a stroke last August. He gave a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly following his "re-election." The good news- he looks terribly frail. The bad news- he looks terribly frail. While it would be great if Kim Jong Il were no longer running North Korea, it's a question mark as to who his successor will be. It was rumored to be his eldest son, until he was caught trying sneak into Japan to visit Disneyland. Now, it's anybody's guess. And there is of course no guarantee of a smooth succession. Should the regime fall, there will be millions of starving North Koreans interacting for the first time with the outside world. Not exactly a win-win situation.

DPRK Missile Launch

First, let me apologize to my 2 or 3 faithful readers. I've been quite busy as of late, and will likely remain so for the following week. After which point the posting should become semi-regular once more.

As for the good stuff, North Korea will likely be testing its newest ICBM in the first week of April. They claim the launch is to put a communication's satellite into orbit, though the real goal is to test the rocket's ability to carry an object ( e.g.- a nuclear weapon) into orbit. If successful, which given North Korea's history of failed rocket tests is a big if, it supposedly has the capability of striking U.S. territory.

NK has stated that they would consider the shooting down of their missile an act of war, to which the U.S. responded to by placing Aegis Destroyers in the region capable of downing the missile. Japan is joining the fun by also placing Aegis destroyers equipped with missile killing missiles in the area.

For a neat, yet technical, rundown of the rocket's potential capabilities based on the splash down zones announced by NK, see this post over at ArmsControlWonk. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and wait for the fun to begin sometime between April 4th and 8th.