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The government has reportedly concluded that what North Korea is preparing to test-launch is likely a satellite rather than a ballistic missile. The North Korean regime has starved millions of citizens to death or driven them into modern-day slavery and prostitution in China, but, our government says, it now merely wants to launch a satellite to compete in the noble field of science and technology.

We have no way of knowing exactly on what grounds the government makes a judgment that differs so markedly from that of the U.S. and Japan. Everyone knows that more than 90 percent of our information about the North relies on U.S. intelligence satellites. Since when has the government developed its own intelligence capability? If it did, it would be a spectacular achievement.

But it seems the government has somehow made an independent assessment despite having to look over the shoulder of the U.S. authorities. The assumption is backed up by remarks from government officials to the effect that a military-purpose missile normally uses solid fuel, but North Korea's is using liquid fuel, and that while military-use missiles are fired underground, the North has loaded booster rockets on a launch pad above ground.

Whether the appearance indicates military or civilian use, however, the principles are the same, and their impact would be the same. When a stranger stalks the neighborhood carrying a naked blade, you cannot dismiss it saying, "It's all right, that’s a kitchen knife." Still, that is the government’s excuse. It was more or less what North Korea said when it was put on the spot after test-firing a Taepodong-1 long-range missile in 1998.

This administration also offered an "independent" assessment on the North’s nuclear arms program, namely that it was “for defense purposes” and therefore had some justification. Along the same lines, it has now decided to call a satellite what the entire world says is a missile. A missile, it seems, is a crisis, and a satellite is its resolution. Naive or stupid, who knows? But it’s a shame the people have no government but this one to rely on.