hankyoreh

North Korea is believed to be preparing for the test launch of a Scud missile at a site on its eastern coast, while simultaneously gearing up for a test of its Taepodong 2 long-range ballistic missile at another site in North Hamgyeong province. Intelligence authorities in South Korea and the United States are closely monitoring the North’s moves.

"While activities involving the Taepodong 2 missile were detected, movement of a truck carrying a missile at the Scud missile site was also observed,” a Seoul government official said on June 8. The official said Japan’s defense ministry dispatched its Aegis destroyer, mainly because of the Scud missile. “We cannot reveal specifics, but the launch site is one of the North’s on the eastern coast,” the official said.

North Korea has about 600 Scud missiles, or missiles of Soviet-style design. Of them, Scud-B missiles have a firing range of 300 kilometers and Scud-C missiles have a range of 500 kilometers. North Korea is believed to have developed a new Scud missile, called the Scud-ER, which has a firing range of between 600 and 1,000 kilometers and is a more target-oriented weapon. The new Scud missile is expected to be able to reach almost all regions in South Korea, as well as Japan.

It is not clear what kind of Scud missile is expected to be launched, but experts say it may be the new Scud missile that can reach Japan, given the Japanese defense ministry’s strong reaction to the intelligence. However, authorities in South Korea and the U.S. are believed to have concluded that a test-fire would not likely occur because no fuelling activity has been detected.

The government official said North Korea may intend its Taepodong launch as a thumbing of the nose toward the U.S. and its Scud missile as a similar affront to Japan. A researcher at the Korea Defense Research Institute said, “The activity was seen as a demonstration by North Korea to counter [recent] U.S. pressures.”