SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has begun making and deploying new intermediate-range ballistic missiles that could reach U.S. military targets in Okinawa, Japan and the Pacific U.S. territory of Guam, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
Since last year, South Korean and Japanese news media, citing anonymous intelligence sources, have reported North Korea’s development of a new missile with a 1,860-2,500 mile range.
Testifying before the parliament’s National Defense Committee, Defense Minister Cho Young-kil said Wednesday that those missiles have already been deployed.
Cho’s comments were carried by domestic media Thursday and were confirmed by a ministry representative.
“North Korea is continuing its missile development, engaging in such activities as engine tests,” Cho was quoted as saying.
North Korea’s vigorous missile development unsettles the region. The U.S. military in South Korea has begun deploying new Patriot missiles designed to intercept incoming missiles. Last year, Japan launched its first spy satellites in a multibillion dollar program aimed at monitoring North Korea’s development of long-range missiles.
The North is believed to have stockpiled 600 Scud missiles with ranges of between 187 miles and 312 miles and 100 Rodong-1 missiles with a range of 812 miles.
North Korea’s missiles and its massive rocket and artillery batteries, deployed close to the border with South Korea, pose the greatest threat to South Korean forces and the 37,000 U.S. troops based in the South under a mutual defense treaty.
The North’s recently deployed missiles are different from the Taepodong-1 missile that North Korea test-fired in 1998 and the Tapodoing-2 missile the communist country is believed to be in the last stage of developing, local media said.
Taepodong-1 has a 1,500-mile range, officials say. Taepodong-2 would be capable of reaching the western United States.
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