U.S. Navy Patrols the Sea of Japan

I just came across this article on washingtonpost.com. I don't think anyone has posted on it. Supposedly a U.S. Navy ship is patrolling the Sea of Japan starting with today. This begins an effort to sheild the United States from North Korea, according to the article. Here's a couple of key excerpts:

TOKYO - Amid heightened concerns of a North Korean missile test, a U.S. destroyer has started patrolling the Sea of Japan in what officials say is a first step toward creating a shield to protect the United States and its allies from a foreign missile attack.

North Korea's state-run media was quick to denounce the deployment.

"The U.S. should clearly understand that a preemptive attack is not its monopoly," North Korea's Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary Friday, adding that the deployment of the destroyer "proves that the U.S. attempt to invade the DPRK has reached a serious phase of implementation."

You can go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64434-2004Oct1.html for the rest of the article.