New missile test close

SOUTH Korea has detected signs that the North is preparing another missile launch, its defence ministry said yesterday, adding it could involve an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The ministry said signs that North Korea was “preparing for another ballistic missile launch have consistently been detected since Sunday’s test”, referring to Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test. It did not give details, or indicate when a launch might take place.

Pyongyang on Sunday triggered global alarm after it claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Officials in Seoul said Sunday’s blast had a strength of 50 kilotons – by far North Korea’s most powerful test to date.