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N Korea raises fears of missile test
North Korea yesterday said it was preparing to fire a satellite into space, heightening regional fears that a provocative long-range missile test could be imminent.
When North Korea blasted a missile over Japan in 1998, it also described that as a satellite launch. US and South Korean intelligence sources believe the communist state is preparing to test-fire the Taepodong-2 – a missile designed to reach as far as Alaska – using its space programme as a smokescreen for upgrading ballistic weapons.
“If this satellite is successfully launched, our country's space technology will have taken another important stride towards making our nation an economic powerhouse,” North Korea's space technology committee told state media.
The country said that its satellite would be used for communications, geological exploration and weather-forecasting.
North Korea first detonated a nuclear device in 2006 but military analysts think it still lacks the know-ledge to fit an atomic warhead on to a missile.
Both the US and South Korea insist any rocket firing by Pyongyang will contravene United Nations Security Council resolution 1718, which was adopted to contain North Korean ballistics after the 2006 atomic test.
Washington also accuses Iran, North Korea's ally, of advancing ballistic expertise through its space programme. The Islamic republic announced it had successfully launched a satellite this month.
North Korea has struck an unusually bellicose stance with its rich southern neighbour recently. It has accused Seoul of bringing the two nations to the brink of war and has said it is tearing up bilateral pacts, including one covering the north-south maritime border.
Kim Jong-il, North Korea's leader, has been infuriated by the South's conservative president, who has refused to court him in the manner of previous leftwing administrations and made aid contingent on progress in talks to end nuclear advancement. Taro Aso, Japan's prime minister, was due yesterday to discuss North Korea with Barack Obama, the US president, in Washington. South Korea's foreign minister flew to Beijing for consultations on North Korea.
