North Korean Rocket Assembly Under Way

from Global Security Newswire

Assembly of a rocket is reportedly under way at a North Korean launch site, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Feb. 26).

Pyongyang says it is preparing to launch a satellite into space from the Musudan-ri facility, while the United States and other concerned nations suspect that the Stalinist state actually plans another test of its long-range Taepodong 2 missile.

"It appears that (the North) has begun assembling the rocket on the ground," a South Korean government official told the Yonhap News Agency (Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, Feb. 27).

A newspaper report also indicated that radar and related technology was being tested at the launch site, AFP reported.

"It seems that the North has begun preparations in earnest for a launch," a government source in Seoul told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper (Agence France-Presse II/Yahoo!News, Feb. 27).

North Korea might reach launch readiness within the next two weeks but could delay action until late March or early April "considering the North's political schedule and the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Yonhap quoted its source as saying.

Seoul and Washington have scheduled a large-scale military exercise for March 9 to 20, followed by a summit early the following month, according to Yonhap. ....