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Prior to the Wednesday's launch of a Taepodong-2 missile, North Korea had moved two such missiles to the area surrounding the launch site. The second missile is believed to be stored at a missile assembly building in Taepodong, in North Hamgyeong Province, a government official said. The presumed missile assemble facility is 54 m long and 24 m wide and therefore capable of accommodating the 29-32 m Taepodong-2.
¡°We presume that North Korea transported the other Taepodong-2 missile to the Musudanri missile base,¡± Defense Minister Yoon Kwan-ung told reporters. "As the Taepodong-2 has not been seen in the vicinity of the launch site, we can¡¯t say at this point that signs point to another imminent launch." Wednesday¡¯s launch failed, with the missile veering off course before dropping into the sea.
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Satellite pictures of the Musudanri missile base, where North Korea launched a Taepodong-2 missile on Wednesday. Some 40 days before the launch, there were cars around the launch pad, but on Tuesday they had gone. SBS released the pictures obtained exclusively by Japan's N-TV./Yonhap
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Yoon said a North Korean patrol boat that was preventing fishing vessels from entering waters the missiles would hit has been withdrawn, making an imminent second launch more unlikely. The minister also hinted that South Korea is beefing up its defense by developing a missile with a 300-500 km range. "Within the scope of the Missile Technology Control Regime, development of ballistic missiles with less than a 300 km range and a 500 kg warhead is allowed, but there are no restrictions on cruise missiles, so we are working diligently,¡± he said.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Gen. Burwell Bell reportedly expressed concern over the mid-range Scud and Rodong missiles launched Wednesday, which are capable of hitting anywhere in the South, focusing attention away from the long-range missile to rockets that pose a more immediate threat.
According to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bell was speaking at a tactical discussion of Air Force officials, where he said he was most concerned about the threat of portable missiles among those launched Wednesday.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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