SEOUL - North Korea has moved what appears to be a mid-range
Musudan missile to its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said
on Thursday, quoting multiple government sources privy to intelligence
from U.S. and South Korean authorities.
It was
not clear if the missile was mounted with a warhead or whether the North
was planning to fire it or was just putting it on display as a show of
force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying.
"South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have obtained
indications the North has moved an object that appears to be a mid-range
missile to the east coast," the source said.
The Musudan missile is believed to have a range of 3,000 km (1,875
miles) or more, which would put all of South Korea and Japan in range
and possibly also the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. North
Korea is not believed to have tested these mid-range missiles,
according to most independent experts
South Korea's defense ministry declined to comment.
North Korea has threatened a nuclear strike on the United States and
missile attacks on its Pacific bases, including in Guam. Those threats
followed new U.N. sanctions imposed on the North after it carried out
its third nuclear test in February.
The missile
was moved to the coast by train. The North has a missile launch site on
the northeastern coast, which it has used to unsuccessfully test-fire
long-range rockets in the past.
The Yonhap report did not say if the missile had been moved to the missile site.
Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper issued a similar report on Thursday,
saying the North had moved what appeared to be a long-range missile to
its east coast. — Reuters
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