North Korea may hold another missile test: media

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea may be preparing for another
missile test, Yonhap news reported on Sunday, after the
secretive state defied international warnings and launched
seven missiles in early July.

South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities have
detected suspicious vehicle movement in and out of North
Korea’s major missile test site, Yonhap reported a government
source in Seoul as saying.

“Military intelligence officials have spotted movements by
several large vehicles in the North’s Gitdaeryeong area,”
Yonhap cited the unidentified source as saying.

“They don’t rule out the possibility that it is part of
preparations for additional missile tests.”

The area was one used in the July 5 missile launch. The
July test-firing included the North’s Taepodong-2 missile,
which fizzled soon after launch but one day may have a range to
hit parts of U.S. territory, experts said.

A government source in Seoul played down the report.

“As far as we know, no new vehicles have moved in that
area,” the source familiar with defense matters told Reuters by
telephone. The source, who asked not to be identified, said the
activity was among vehicles that have been at the site since
July.

“Given this, it may be too much of a stretch to say this
indicates the possibility of new missile test by the North.”

Recent U.S. and Japanese news reports cited intelligence
officials as saying North Korea may be preparing for a nuclear
weapons test, which if it occurs, would have a far more grave
impact on regional security than the missile test, Seoul has
said.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear weapons power in
February 2005, without testing.