(Reuters) — South Korea’s defense ministry said on Wednesday (July 22) it was closely monitoring North Korea after reports it upgraded its missile tower.
South Korea’s Yonhap News agency reported that the North has erected a new, taller launch tower at its missile base, possibly in preparation for firing a long-range rocket to mark an important national anniversary in October.
The 67-metre (220-ft) tower will be able to accommodate the launch of a longer-range missile than the rocket test-fired in December 2012. That launch was widely considered successful in putting an object into space orbit, the Yonhap report said.
“Our military is closely monitoring and tracking North Korea’s movement related to a possible missile launch including extension work on a launch tower at its missile base in Tongchang-ri, North Korea,” said the defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok at a news briefing.
North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from conducting tests that use ballistic missile technology but has defied international warnings and sanctions to pursue missile and nuclear programmes.
A South Korean government source said that their assessment is that the North will use the newly upgraded Tongchang-ri (missile) launch pad to launch a long-range missile larger than Unha-3, Yonhap quoted.
Unha-3 refers to the long-range rocket fired in 2012 from the base near its west coast.
The launch is likely to come around the 70th anniversary of the founding of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party on October 10, the source was quoted as saying.
North Korea is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) but is believed to be years away from deployment. It is also working to miniaturise a nuclear warhead to mount on a delivery vehicle.