Monday, February 23, 2009

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North Korea May Be Ready To Test-fire Missile



Posted: 22 Feb 2009 09:13 PM PST



North Korea could be ready to test-fire a missile within days as

satellite imagery has shown increased activity at a missile site over

the past 48 hours, a defense weekly said.


A significant increase in launch preparations has occurred at the

Musudan-ni missile site on the communist country’s northeastern

coast, said Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a senior analyst at Jane’s

Information Group who specializes in North Korean defense and

intelligence matters.


“The latest satellite images … indicate that North Korea is

preparing to launch either a prototype Taepodong 2

intermediate range ballistic missile or a Paektusan 2 space

launch vehicle within a matter of days,” Jane’s Defence

Weekly said in a report issued Friday in London.


The report comes amid growing international pressure on

the North to drop its apparent plans to fire a long-range

missile believed capable of reaching U.S. territory.

Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have repeatedly warned

Pyongyang against firing a missile, saying the move

would trigger international sanctions.


Bermudez said satellite images show the activation of

launch equipment and radars, and the arrival of numerous

trucks and support vehicles. Support facilities for the engine

test stand were undergoing expansion, the report said.


North Korea launched a failed long-range Taepodong 2

missile in 2006. That test alarmed the world and gave new

energy to the stop-and-start diplomacy over North Korea’s

nuclear program. The North is believed to possess up to a

dozen nuclear warheads.


Pyongyang also conducted a surprise launch of a Taepodong 1

missile over Japan in 1998.


via Report: NKorea may be ready to test-fire missile.


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