S. Korea increases surveillance as N. Korea moves missiles to east
Source: Agencies |
April 11, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
SOUTH Korea said yesterday there was "very high" probability that North Korea, engaged in weeks of threats of war, would launch a medium-range missile at any time as a show of strength.
Officials in Seoul said surveillance of North Korean activity had been enhanced. Missile transporters had been spotted in South Hamgyong province along North Korea's east coast - a possible site for a launch.
In Washington, Admiral Samuel Locklear, the commander of US forces in the Pacific region, said the US military believed North Korea had moved an unspecified number of Musudan missiles to its east coast.
The trajectory of the missile, if launched, is unclear as North Korea has failed to inform international bodies - as it did in previous instances - of the path it is expected to take. But it is unlikely to be aimed directly at South Korea.
The Musudan has a range of 3,500 kilometers or more, according to South Korea, which would put Japan within range and may even threaten Guam, home to US bases. South Korea can be reached by the North's short-range Scud missiles.
South Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told a parliamentary hearing: "According to intelligence obtained by our side and the US, the possibility of a missile launch by North Korea is very high."
North Korea, he said, could launch a Musudan missile "at any time from now."
The US-South Korea Combined Forces Command in Seoul raised its "Watchcon 3" status, a normal condition, by one level to boost monitoring and increase the number of intelligence staff, a senior military official told the South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Yonhap also reported that South Korea, which has not joined a US-led global missile defence system, was planning to develop a system of its own. This would involve early warning radars, ship-to-air and land-based systems, to be used in conjunction with US early warning satellites. North Korea has tested short-range Scud missiles. The longer-range Musudan and Nodong missiles are an unknown quantity.
Officials in Seoul said surveillance of North Korean activity had been enhanced. Missile transporters had been spotted in South Hamgyong province along North Korea's east coast - a possible site for a launch.
In Washington, Admiral Samuel Locklear, the commander of US forces in the Pacific region, said the US military believed North Korea had moved an unspecified number of Musudan missiles to its east coast.
The trajectory of the missile, if launched, is unclear as North Korea has failed to inform international bodies - as it did in previous instances - of the path it is expected to take. But it is unlikely to be aimed directly at South Korea.
The Musudan has a range of 3,500 kilometers or more, according to South Korea, which would put Japan within range and may even threaten Guam, home to US bases. South Korea can be reached by the North's short-range Scud missiles.
South Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told a parliamentary hearing: "According to intelligence obtained by our side and the US, the possibility of a missile launch by North Korea is very high."
North Korea, he said, could launch a Musudan missile "at any time from now."
The US-South Korea Combined Forces Command in Seoul raised its "Watchcon 3" status, a normal condition, by one level to boost monitoring and increase the number of intelligence staff, a senior military official told the South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Yonhap also reported that South Korea, which has not joined a US-led global missile defence system, was planning to develop a system of its own. This would involve early warning radars, ship-to-air and land-based systems, to be used in conjunction with US early warning satellites. North Korea has tested short-range Scud missiles. The longer-range Musudan and Nodong missiles are an unknown quantity.
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