NK prepares new missile

NORTH Korea is believed to be preparing to launch a ballistic missile ahead of an upcoming joint naval drill by the US and South Korea, a news report said yesterday, citing a government source.

The US Navy said Friday that a US aircraft carrier would lead the drill in the coming week, a fresh show of force against North Korea as tensions soar over the hermit state’s weapons program.

The move is likely to rile Pyongyang, which has previously responded angrily to joint exercises.

Seoul’s Donga Ilbo daily newspaper, quoting a government source, said satellite pic- tures showed ballistic missiles mounted on launchers being transported out of hangars near Pyongyang and in the North Phyongan Province.

US and South Korean military officials suspect the North might be preparing to launch missiles capable of reaching US territory, the paper said.

This could be the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, which could reach Alaska, or Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missiles, which Pyongyang threatened to fire towards the US Pacific territory of Guam in August, the report says.

Another possibility is that the North might be preparing to test a new Hwasong-13 ICBM, which has a longer range than the other two missiles and could potentially reach the US west coast.

The joint drills, led by the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, come after hectic US military hardware movements around the Korean peninsula in recent days.

These follow a flurry of missiles from Pyongyang, which conducted its sixth nuclear test last month.

Professor Yang Moo-Jin of the University of North Korean Studies said it was “highly likely” that the North could launch missiles in response to next week’s joint navy drill.