NKorea grabs world's attention, motive opaque

SEOUL, July 9 (Reuters) Secretive North Korea succeeded in grabbing world attention last week by firing off seven missiles but analysts and governments are now wondering quite what it wanted to say.

Analysts say Pyongyang's biggest ever test-launch, coinciding with the July 4 US Independence Day holiday, was probably an attempt to increase its leverage with Washington.

But then what? Did North Korea want to force the Americans into talks, win back attention from a Washington more focused on a nuclear crisis in Iran, or rally support at home at a time when its leaders are feeling the pinch from a US crackdown on their finances.

Some speculate that the Stalinist state wanted to flex its military might and show the world it was prepared to do so without fear of any retribution.

The last time North Korea rattled the region with a missile launch was in 1998 when it fired one over Japan.

The United States responded with talks where the North promised not to fire more ballistic missiles in exchange for Washington lifting some trade restrictions on Pyongyang.

''The 1998 test brought Washington to the negotiating table,'' wrote Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank.

''Pyongyang is no doubt hoping for the same outcome this time around.'' Since Wednesday's test-firings, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing have talked about the need for Pyongyang to return to six-country talks, stalled since November, on ending its nuclear weapons programmes.

South Korea's top nuclear talks envoy, Chun Yung-woo, said the furore over the missiles -- which included one that could reach US soil but apparently fizzled out after 42 seconds in the air -- might offer a chance to resume the talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The top US negotiator on North Korea, Christopher Hill, said in Seoul that, while he supported talks, the United States would not back down on a crackdown on firms it suspects of aiding Pyongyang in such activities as counterfeiting and drug running.

Analysts have said the crackdown is working better than many in Washington might have expected.

The measures have led to freezing tens of millions of dollars of North Korean assets in a Macau bank, but also created great reluctance among firms to do business with the North in case they become a target.

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