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NKorea completes launch site for larger missiles: report
Seoul (AFP) Oct 26, 2009 North Korea has completed work on a new west coast site capable of launching improved intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to senior South Korean officials quoted by Yonhap news agency. The Dongchang-ri base has been under construction for several years despite long-running international efforts to shut down the communist state's missile and nuclear programmes. "The construction is as good as finished," one South Korean official told Yonhap on condition of anonymity. "The necessary facilities are all there." Another official said the North has been testing missile parts such as boosters at the site about 200 km (125 miles) northwest of Pyongyang. "It's a leap in North Korea's ballistic missile development," the official was quoted as saying. South Korea's then-defence chief said last November the new site could handle a missile larger than the North's current Taepodong series. The Dongchang-ri base is bigger than the Musudan-ri site on the east coast where the North launched long-range missiles in 1998, 2006 and April this year. The April launch brought international condemnation. The North called it an exercise to put a peaceful satellite into orbit but others saw a disguised test of a Taepodong-2 missile theoretically capable of reaching Alaska. In May the North went ahead with its second nuclear test, triggering tougher United Nations sanctions. The officials quoted by Yonhap said the west coast base is intended for intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range of at least 5,000 km (3,125 miles). The April launch was seen as only a partial succcess because the second and third stages failed to separate but the rocket still travelled some 3,200 km. Experts are unsure whether the North has the ability to miniaturise a nuclear warhead for a ballistic missile. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
US, N.Korea hold nuclear talks in New YorkWashington (AFP) Oct 24, 2009 Senior US and North Korean envoys held rare face-to-face talks in New York, boosting hopes of progress in stalled six-party nuclear talks and paving the way toward increased bilateral engagement. Ri Gun, a deputy negotiator in stalled negotiations over the hermit state's nuclear program, met Saturday with Sung Kim, the US special envoy on North Korea's nuclear disarmament. Ri arrived in the ... read more |
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