North Korea withdraws missiles

North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says - CNN.comvar cnnCurrTime=new Date(1367921206000),cnnCurrHour=6,cnnCurrMin=6,cnnCurrDay="Tue",cnnIsIntl=true,clickID=212106,cnn_cvpAdpre="edition.",cnnCVPAdSectionT1="edition.cnn.com_asia_main_t1",cnnCVPAdSectionInPage="edition.cnn.com_asia_main_inpage",cnnShareUrl="%2F2013%2F05%2F07%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fkoreas-tensions%2Findex.html",cnnShareTitle="North%20Korea%20removes%20missiles%20from%20launch%20site%2C%20U.S.%20official%20says",cnnShareDesc="",cnnFirstPub=new Date('Tuesday May 7 02:48:34 EDT 2013'),cnnSectionName="world",cnnSubSectionName="wrd : asia",cnnPageType="Story",cnnBrandingValue="default";cnnPartnerValue="";cnnOmniBranding="",cnnAuthor="Jethro Mullen and Barbara Starr, CNN",disqus_category_id=207582,disqus_identifier="/2013/05/07/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html",disqus_title="North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says",cnn_edtnswtchver="edition",cnnIsStoryPage=true,cnn_metadata = {},cnn_shareconfig = [];cnn_metadata = {section: ["world","wrd : asia"],friendly_name: "North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says",template_type: "content",template_type_content: "gallery",business: {cnn: {page: {author: "Jethro Mullen and Barbara Starr, CNN",broadcast_franchise: "",video_embed_count: "4",publish_date: "2013/05/07",photo_gallery: "North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says"},video: {video_player: ""}}},user: {authenticated: "",segment: {age: "",zip: "",gender: ""}}};if (typeof(cnnOmniPartner) !== "undefined") {if (cnn_metadata.template_type_content === "") {cnn_metadata.template_type_content = "partner";}}var photo_gallery = "North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says";if(typeof CNN==='undefined'){var CNN=Class.create();}CNN.expandableMap=[''];function _loginOptions(){};var disqus_url=(typeof disqus_identifier!=='undefined') ? 'http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html' : 'http://www.cnn.com'+location.pathname;cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['970x66_top','300x250_rgt','300x250_rgt2','336x280_rgt','336x850_rgt','300x150_rgt','728x90_top','728x90_bot','BG_Skin','120x90_bot1','120x90_bot2','120x90_bot3']);cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['607x95_adlinks','336x280_adlinks']); EDITION:  INTERNATIONAL U.S. MÉXICO ARABIC TV:   CNNi CNN en Español Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World U.S. Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business World Sport Entertainment Tech Travel iReport SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar1","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html","title" : "North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says"});North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official saysBy Jethro Mullen and Barbara Starr, CNNMay 7, 2013 -- Updated 0930 GMT (1730 HKT)if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(33);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}A North Korea soldier gestures to stop photographers from taking photos from a Chinese tour boat as other soldiers look on along the North Korean bank of the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiji across the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning province, China, on Saturday, April 6. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the country's military to increase artillery production, a televised report out of Pyongyang showed on Saturday.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean soldiers gather by the docks in Sinuiju near the Chinese border on Thursday, April 4. North Korea has unleashed another round of scathing rhetoric accusing the United States of pushing the region to the "brink of war." The country may be planning a missile launch soon, a U.S. official told CNN, as tensions mount on the Korean Peninsula. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean soldiers patrol along the Yalu River in Sinuiju across the border from the Chinese city of Dandong on April 4.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim Jong Un is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S." cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim Jong Un works during a briefing in this undated photo.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects drills by the Korean People's Army navy at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast on March 25 in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim makes his way to an observation post with North Korean soldiers on March 25.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim is greeted by the family of a soldier as he inspects Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on Thursday, March 7, in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":9,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7. North Korea has escalated its bellicose rhetoric, threatening nuclear strikes, just before the U.N. Security Council passed tougher sanctions against the secretive nation on March 7.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":10,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on March 7.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":11,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location on March 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":12,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, poses with chiefs of branch social security stations in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency on November 27. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":13,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim celebrates with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang, North Korea, during the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite, in a photo released by the official North Korean news agency on December 12. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":14,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}A crowd watches as statues of the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang on April 13, 2012. Photos from North Korea are rare, but the country was on full display in April 2012 as it celebrated the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":15,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center on April 8, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":16,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket, which broke apart and fell into the sea. The UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":17,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":18,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military "}A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":19,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Koreans wave flags in front of portraits of Kim Il Sung, left, and his son Kim Jong Il during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":20,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":21,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":22,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":23,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":24,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":25,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":26,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":27,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Kim Jong Un visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, which is under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released on July 3, 2012, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":28,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":29,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":30,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":31,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between Pyongyang and North Pyongan province on April 8, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":32,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport during a diplomatic visit on May 2, 2001.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":33,"title":"Kim Jong Un and North Korea\'s military"}HIDE CAPTIONKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's military Kim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryKim Jong Un and North Korea's military<<<123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSTwo Musudan missiles have been sent to a storage facility, a U.S. official saysThe U.S. and South Korea said previously the missiles could be fired at any timeThe disclosure comes after the intensity of North Korea threats has calmedBut Pyongyang warns the U.S. and South Korea over naval drills in the region

(CNN) -- North Korea has withdrawn two mobile ballistic missiles from a launch site in the eastern part of the country, according to a U.S. official, the latest hint of an easing in tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The disclosure came Monday, the day before President Barack Obama is due to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Park Geun-hye, in Washington.

During a fraught period last month that included near daily North Korean threats of war, U.S. and South Korean officials said they believed Kim Jong Un's regime could carry out a test launch of at least one of the missiles at any time. The United States and Japan responded by stepping up missile defenses in the region.

But the anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founder on April 15, seen as the likely date around which a launch could take place, came and went without either of the missiles being fired. And now they have been sent to a storage facility, the U.S. official said.

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Recent tensions

The recent period of tensions flared up after the North's long-range rocket launch in December and underground nuclear test in February, both of which were widely condemned.

Pyongyang's fiery rhetoric intensified in March as the U.N. Security Council voted to tighten sanctions on the regime following the nuclear test. Annual U.S.-South Korean military drills in South Korea also fueled the North's anger, especially when the United States carried out displays of strength that included nuclear-capable B2 stealth bombers.

But a key part of the large-scale training exercises, known as Foal Eagle, concluded last week, and the intensity of Pyongyang's threats appears to have subsided. Its rhetorical exchanges with Washington and Seoul have shifted to include conditions for possible negotiations, although both sides appear to remain far apart.

North Korea is demanding recognition as a nuclear power, something the United States refuses to countenance. And the recent crisis resulted in the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

Analysts and U.S. officials have cautioned that Kim Jong Un's regime remains unpredictable and that tensions could escalate again in the event of new provocations.

It would be "premature" to make a judgment about whether the North Korean "provocation cycle is going up, down or zig-zagging," Daniel Russel, White House special assistant and senior director for Asian affairs, said Monday.

"No one should be prepared to declare a victory yet," he said, referring to the reports of the missiles being moved off the launch site.

A fresh warning from the North

A reminder of the fragile situation came in a North Korean statement Tuesday that accused U.S. and South Korean forces of carrying out naval shelling drills near the two Koreas' disputed western maritime border.

The statement, from the North Korean military's command in the sector near that part of the border, warned of "immediate counteractions" if "even a single shell" from the drills fell within its territorial waters.

But the statement was notably free of the talk of "nuclear war" that peppered North Korean propaganda directed at the United States and South Korea during the height of the tensions in March and April.

At a news briefing in Seoul, Kim Min-seok, a spokesman for the South Korean defense ministry, denied the North's accusation that shelling drills had been taking place in the sea near the border since Sunday.

He confirmed, though, that planned annual naval drills to practice the defense of islands near the border were under way.

In November 2010, North Korea shelled the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians. Pyongyang accused Seoul of provoking the attack by holding a military drill in the area.

The current situation regarding North Korea is chief among the subjects on the agenda for Obama and Park's meeting on Tuesday.

Obama will use Park's visit to "reaffirm the strong commitment" of the U.S. to the defense of South Korea, Russel said Monday.

CNN's Brian Walker and Lesa Jansen, and journalist Soo Bin Park contributed to this report.

0Comments »SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html","title" : "North Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official says"});var OB_permalink='http://edition.cnn.com'+location.pathname;var OB_langJS='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_widgetId='AR_1';var OB_Template="cnnedition";if (typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined'){OutbrainStart();}else{var OB_Script=true;var str="cnnad_createAd("272938","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=607x95_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=asia&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","95","607");cnnad_registerSpace(272938,607,95);cnnad_createAd("49277","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=336x850_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=asia&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","850","336");cnnad_registerSpace(49277,336,850);Part of complete coverage on Inside North KoreaEverything North KoreaFollow all of our coverage about the key issues unfolding inside North Korea and how it affects you.Why I fled North KoreaApril 14, 2013 -- Updated 2142 GMT (0542 HKT)When she was growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thought her country was normal -- even though she saw her first public execution at 7.The power of the Kim dynastyApril 16, 2013 -- Updated 0639 GMT (1439 HKT)CNN's Kyung Lah examines the reign of Kim Jong Un and notes its similarities to his grandfather, Kim Il Sung.The North Korea you haven't seenApril 12, 2013 -- Updated 1103 GMT (1903 HKT)The public images of North Korean power contrast with less-seen sights of extreme poverty and hunger. Who's in range of N.Korean missiles?Check out a map of the known conventional weaponry in North Korea's arsenal and their estimated strike ranges.War of words: Timeline of threatsApril 11, 2013 -- Updated 0634 GMT (1434 HKT)Here's a look at Kim's escalating rhetoric and his country's actions since he came to power after his father's death in 2011.North Korea: A smuggler's paradiseApril 10, 2013 -- Updated 2333 GMT (0733 HKT)CNN's Brian Todd reports on the smuggling that accounts for 10%-40% of North Korea's revenue.How does North Korea make its money?April 10, 2013 -- Updated 0024 GMT (0824 HKT)CNN examines the North Korean economy and how Pyongyang generates its income.Nuclear map: Who has what?More than two dozen countries have nuclear power, but only a few have nuclear weapons or are suspected of pursuing nuclear weapons. North Korea is far from suicidal April 5, 2013 -- Updated 1622 GMT (0022 HKT)Sung-Yoon Lee says North Korea's strategy is to instill fear and hysteria in South Koreans and Americans.Fear, fascination with North Korea April 5, 2013 -- Updated 0107 GMT (0907 HKT)Why are we so fearful and fascinated by North Korea? Here's a round-up of what you had to say on social media. Who is Kim Jong Un?April 5, 2013 -- Updated 0103 GMT (0903 HKT)CNN's Kyung Lah takes a look at North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. .cnn_strycrcntrnwsp .cnn_mtpmore { padding:10px 0px 1px 0px; }.cnn_stryccnwsp2 .cnn_stryccnwsp3 { width:100% }Most PopularToday's five most popular storiesCleveland abductions a chilling reminder of 'House of Horrors'911 call -- 'I've been kidnapped!' -- cops find 3 women missing for years911 call -- 'I've been kidnapped!' -- cops find 3 women missing for yearsMalaysian opposition leader calls rally to protest voteNorth Korea removes missiles from launch site, U.S. official saysvar cnn_oburlStr = location.pathname + '';cnn_oburlStr = (cnn_oburlStr.indexOf('?') > -1) ? cnn_oburlStr.substr(0, cnn_oburlStr.indexOf('?')) : cnn_oburlStr;var OB_permalink= 'http://edition.cnn.com' + cnn_oburlStr;var OB_Template="cnnedition";var OB_widgetId= 'VR_1';var OB_langJS ='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';if ( typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined' ) {OutbrainStart();} else {var OB_Script = true;var str = "var OB_Template="cnnedition";var OB_widgetId= 'SB_2';var OB_langJS ='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';if ( typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined' ) {OutbrainStart();} else {var OB_Script = true;var str = ".OB_SB_1, .OB_SB_2 { padding:0px; }#outbrain_container_1_stripBox .strip-like, #outbrain_container_2_stripBox .strip-like { font-size:18px; }#ob_strip_container_rel_1_stripBox { }#ob_strip_container_rel_1_stripBox .item-container, #ob_strip_container_rel_2_stripBox .item-container { padding-top:8px;border-top:1px solid #E5E5E5; }cnnad_createAd("163896","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=300x150_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=asia&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","150","300");cnnad_registerSpace(163896,300,150);

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