“If North Korea follows previous pre-launch preparation practices, we would expect to see in the coming days increased site-wide activity, traffic at the fuel/oxidizer storage bunkers, activity at the launch pad and the presence of tracking equipment”, 38 North said, adding: “A more likely alternative is that an engine test is being prepared”.
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The United States regularly monitors North Korea from space while Japan itself began its own satellite monitoring of the country in 2003.
He added, however, that South Korea’s military was monitoring for signs of a long-range missile launch.
Meanwhile, in Washington yesterday, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation to broaden sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear programme, human rights record and cyber activities.
Kim said South Korea has never received any request from the USA for the THAAD deployment, but he noted that the deployment of the missile defence system would be helpful to South Korea’s security and defence.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani has ordered Aegis destroyers that operate in the Sea of Japan to be ready to target any North Korean projectiles heading for Japan, the sources said.
China and Russian Federation, both veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have helped temper the worldwide reaction to North Korean provocations in the past. However, Kim said North Korea didn’t issue a warning ahead of a reported planned rocket launch as it has done in the past.
US officials are believed to advocate a ban on civilian flights to and from North Korea and sealing off its ability to conduct trade.
Through some images that went public, the United States of America and South Korea have been able to confirm that North Korea is holding some suspicious preparations regarding missile launches.
US Navy Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, said on Wednesday before the Kyodo report was published that North Korea’s actions underscored the importance of strengthening an alliance among Japan, South Korea and the United States.
US officials say that activity at a North Korean missile testing facility could indicate that the country is planning a potential long-range missile test in the near future.
But China, North Korea’s chief diplomatic protector and economic benefactor, is reluctant, despite ties becoming strained in recent years as Beijing’s patience wears thin with its neighbour’s ambitions for nuclear weapons.
Tensions surrounding the North Korean nuclear program were boosted on January 6, after the nation’s officials announced they successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.
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The official government stance signals the USA move to deploy the THAAD system inside the USFK is gaining momentum in South Korea.
