North Korea Shoots First, Talks Later

HONG KONG -- North Korea wants an audience with America. It just has a funny way of showing it. On Monday, the reclusive state ended its three-month-long charm offensive by test-firing five short-range missiles.

Korea watchers are scratching their heads because the North Koreans had recently sent smoke signals that they would agree to return to the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament, with the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. Previously, though, North Korea had characterized those talks as "dead" and insisted instead on bilateral talks with the U.S.; the U.S. had resisted.