By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea and the United States have agreed to raise their surveillance level on North Korea if the communist state launches a rocket in the coming days, sources said Thursday.
Defense chiefs of the two countries had a telephone conversation early in the morning to deal with the rocket launch, which some experts believe is a cover for a long-range missile test.
``South Korean and U.S. authorities share the need for strengthening their surveillance on the North because there is a high possibility that the regime will take additional provocative acts following the launch,'' a South Korean source said, requesting not to be identified. ``The two sides are closely coordinating on this issue.''
Seoul's Ministry of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff will begin operating an around-the-clock emergency team on North Korean moves today, as Pyongyang could launch the rocket as early as this weekend, said the source.
South Korea maintains four WATCHCON (Watch Condition) levels, normally raised by agreements between the South Korean and U.S. military intelligence authorities.
WATCHCON 4 denotes a normal peacetime posture, WATCHCON 3 important indications of threat, WATCHCON 2 vital indications of threat and WATCHCON 1 a wartime situation.
South Korean troops usually maintain WATCHCON 3 status.
North Korea announced earlier that it would place a communications satellite into orbit between April 4 and 8 as part of its ``peaceful space program.'' It notified international organizations that its rocket is expected to drop its first stage booster into the western waters off Japan before passing over Japan's airspace in the Pacific.
CNN reported Wednesday that North Korea appeared to have begun fueling the rocket positioned on a launch pad at its northeastern missile site, a sign that a launch was imminent.
Five Aegis warships of South Korea, the United States and Japan are operating in Korea's eastern waters to monitor and track the launch.