A Soviet-made Antonov AN-2 flies in this undated file photo / Yonhap |
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
North Korea is preparing for a test-launch of up to 10 more short-range missiles in the West Sea this week, following its reported test-firing of two missiles into the sea Tuesday, local reports said Thursday.
The Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to comment on the reports, saying the information was classified.
Officials of the two agencies earlier downplayed Tuesday's firing as part of routine military drills.
Quoting unidentified military intelligence officials, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper and Yonhap News Agency reported it was highly possible that the North would test-fire at least five more missiles.
The officials said there was an indication that about 10 KN-01 surface-to-ship and Styx ship-to-air missiles have been deployed at a North Korea Navy unit near Chodo Island in North Hamgyeong Province, ahead of the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, Friday, according to reports. The unit reportedly banned fishing vessels from sailing near the island until Oct. 15.
The KN-01, a modified version of the Chinese Silkworm missile, is believed to have a range of 100 to 120 kilometers. The Styx has a range of 46 to 50 kilometers.
The United States said Wednesday that any North Korean missile launches would be unhelpful in easing tensions in Northeast Asia.
``I think just as a general comment, with respect to the firing of these kinds of missiles, these short-range missiles, we would advise against it,'' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. ``It's not helpful in any way managing tensions within the region, which are always at a constant level.''
Meanwhile, conflicting speculation has arisen over whether Tuesday's missile test-launch was from aircraft.
Yonhap said North Korea was believed to have used a Soviet-made Antonov AN-2 to fire two anti-ship KN-01 missiles, while some other sources raised speculation that the North fired air-to-ship missiles from an IL-28 bomber also built by Russia.
``I wonder if that is technically possible,'' the defense ministry's spokesman, Won Tae-jae, told reporters.
An Air Force official was quoted by Yonhap as saying, ``It is just technically not possible for the small AN-2 to lift off while carrying 2-ton missiles and to fire them in air.''
He also said it is impossible to equip an AN-2 with the Styx missiles because its wings are only a few feet from the ground.
Instead, the official believed the North could have used IL-28 bombers.
North Korea is one of a handful of countries that fly the single-engine AN-2, which made its debut in 1947. The North is believed to operate some 300 AN-2s.
The 12.7-meter-long plane, which can carry 13 soldiers, raises security fears in South Korea, however, because it can avoid radar by flying low. It can fly as slowly as 48 kilometers per hour or cruise at 250 kilometers per hour, according to aviation experts.
Pyongyang has carried out such short-range missile tests many times before as a way to protest pressure by the international community to scrap its missile and nuclear programs.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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