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N.Korea Testing Missile Launch Platform
A high-ranking government official said Friday North Korea appears to be testing a missile platform ahead of the rumored test-launch of a long-range ballistic missile. The platform test is to ensure that the equipment holding the missile in place will fall away during the launch. Certain parts of what U.S. intelligence says could be a Taepodong-2 missile have already been installed on the platform, Japans Kyodo news agency said quoting sources in Washington. A U.S. source said the situation had become deeply troubling in the last 48 hours and expressed concern that the launch preparations have entered the final stage. A launch is possible within a few days, Kyodo quoted the source as claiming. Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said U.S. and Japanese spy satellites confirmed that the assembly of what looks to be a Taepodong-2 missile is complete, and a military unit appears to be continually active in the area. But the high-level government insider in Seoul said it was still too early to say that a launch is imminent with only the signs that we have seen." Posted by: Steve 2006-06-16 |
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