Is North Korea Preparing For A Missile Test?

North Korea Moves Missile Launchers, Issues Safety Warning To Foreign Embassies -- FOX News

As tensions continued to mount on the Korean peninsula, the communist dictatorship in the North deployed mid-range missile launchers to its east coast and reportedly warned foreign embassies Friday it cannot guarantee the safety of diplomats after April 10.

Reuters reported early Friday that North Korea deployed two of its intermediate range missiles on mobile launchers and hid them on the east coast of the country, citing a South Korean news agency.

South Korea said Thursday North Korea moved a missile with "considerable range" to its east coast after an unnamed spokesman for the North Korean army warned the U.S. Wednesday that its military has been cleared to wage an attack using "smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear" weapons.

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More News On North Korea's Missile Movements

No surprise if North Korea conducts new missile test: White House -- Reuters
W.H. 'would not be surprised' if North Korea launches missile -- Politico
White House: N. Korean ‘bellicose’ missile launch wouldn’t surprise -- Washington Times
More N Korea missile tests 'no surprise' to US -- BBC
No Surprise if N. Korea Launches Missile – White House -- RIA Novosti
America would not be surprised if North Korea launched missiles -- Herald Sun/AFP
North Korea Loads Missile Launchers, Warns Foreign Embassies to Evacuate Soon -- Latino Post
N. Korea missile movements fuel tensions -- Global Post/AFP
North Korea hides two missiles on east coast: report -- Reuters
North Korea Deploys Missiles to East Coast - Seoul -- RIA Novosti
North Korea moves missile to east as nuclear crisis escalates -- NBC

North Korea Moves It's Medium-Range Missiles To The East Coast

Source: Sources: GlobalSecurity.org, CIA World Factbook, USA TODAY research. Kevin A. Kepple and Joan Murphy, USA TODAY

North Korea Said To Move Medium-Range Missile To Its Coast -- CNN

(CNN) -- North Korea kept tensions simmering around its borders Thursday, reportedly moving a medium-range missile to its east coast and continuing to put pressure on a joint industrial complex where hundreds of South Koreans work.

Wednesday, the United States announced it was sending ballistic missile defenses to Guam, a Western Pacific territory that's home to U.S. naval and air bases. North Korea has cited those bases among possible targets for missile attacks.

This comes amid the disclosure of what one U.S. official calls an Obama administration "playbook" of pre-scripted actions and responses to the last several weeks of North Korean rhetoric and provocations.

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More News On North Korea Moving It's Medium-Range Missiles To The East Coast

North Korea 'moves mid-range missile' -- BBC
S. Korea: N. Korea moves missile to east coast -- USA Today
North Korea Moves Missile to Its East Coast -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea moves missile with 'considerable range' to coast, says Seoul -- The Guardian
North Korea Relocates Long-Range Missile in Latest 'Rhetorical Threat' -- ABC News
North Korea Moves Missile to Coast, but Limited Threat Seen -- New York Times

Update: North Korea may launch mid-range missile -- NHK

A Look At North Korea's Missile Arsenal

Via The Telegraph

A Clear Graphic And Short Explanation To Clarify Exactly What North Korea Can Do -- Business Insider

Despite North Korea's highly-publicised missile tests, relatively little is known about the actual size and capabilities of its arsenal.

The regime is understood to have substantial numbers of short- and intermediate-range missiles such as the Nodong, a variant on the Scud missile.

With a range of around 1,000km, the Nodong could in theory strike in South Korea and Japan. However, its poor accuracy makes it an ineffective battlefield weapon and it is unlikely North Korea would be able to pinpoint US military bases in the region, although it could cause serious civilian casualties.

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My Comment: These missiles have little military value ..... but for purposes of propaganda and to instill fear .... a perfect weapon to have.

Could North Korea Hit The U.S. With A Nuclear Ballistic Missile?

Could North Korea Nuke Washington? -- New Republic

North Korea, in advance of a unanimous United Nations Security Council vote to sanction the country for last month's underground nuclear weapons test, today threatened to pre-emptively nuke Washington. Pyongyang has long been known for its provocations, but this one is scary enough to warrant asking: Could they pull it off?

The Stalinist state doesn't have that capability—yet. North Korea has built a long-range ballistic missile, the Taepeodong 2 (TD-2), which could hit the West Coast of the United States. That is, if it worked. The last TD-2 test was in 2006; it failed in 42 seconds. North Korea's longest-range ballistic missile that works, the Musudan, has a range of only 2,500 miles—not nearly far enough to hit the continental United States, some 5,600 miles away, or even Hawaii, 4,800 miles away.

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My Comment: For the moment the consensus is that they are not capable of achieving such a missile strike. But the consensus is also of the opinion that the North Koreans are working hard to achieve such a capability. For more info on North Korea's ability (or inability) to hit the U.S. with a nuclear ballistic missile, go here.

North Korea Is Upgrading It's Missile Site

In this photo from April, a soldier stands guard at North Korea's Sohae Satellite Station in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. during a press tour. April's launch was considered a failure, but North Korea now says it will launch an improved Unha rocket sometime in mid-December. Bobby Yip / Reuters

Increased Activity At Musudan-ri Indicates N. Korea Preparing For Another Rocket Launch -- Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- Recent progress in the construction of new facilities and a general increase in activity at North Korea's Musudan-ri launch site may be an indication that the belligerent nation might launch another rocket following the detonation of its third nuclear device, a Web site specializing in North Korean affairs said Friday.

"Construction of new facilities at the Tonghae Satellite launching ground, previously disrupted by typhoons that ravaged the east coast last summer, has made important progress since late Oct. 2012," U.S. Web site "38 North" said in a posting, referring to the launch pad.

Satellite imagery of the location confirmed that measures are underway to "possibly modify it in preparation for an upcoming test of a liquid-fueled rocket," the posting said.

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More News On North Korea Upgrading It's Missile Site

U.S. institute says North Korea upgrading rocket launch site, possibly with Iran’s help -- Washington Post/AP
N.Korea makes progress at rocket site: images -- Space Daily/AFP
Recent Satellite Images Show Movement at N. Korea's Musudan-ri Rocket Launch Site -- Arirang
N.Korea makes progress at rocket site: images -- iFocus

WNU Editor: The 38North website is here.

North Korea's New Missile 'Has 10,000km Range'

North Korea Rocket 'Has 10,000km Range' -- BBC

North Korea's recent rocket launch shows it has the ability to fire a rocket more than 10,000km (6,200 miles), South Korean officials say.

The estimate, which would potentially put the Western US in range, was based on an analysis of rocket debris.

However, there was no confirmation that the North had the re-entry technology needed to deliver a missile.

Experts believe North Korea is also years away from gaining the ability to mount a nuclear bomb on a missile.

North Korea launched the Unha-3 rocket on 12 December, in defiance of sanctions and international warnings.

It was the first time the North had made successful use of a three-stage rocket to put a satellite into orbit, and observers said it appeared to mark a step towards fielding an intercontinental range ballistic missile.

"As a result of analysing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000km in case the warhead is 500-600kg," a South Korean defence ministry official told journalists.

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More News On North Korea's Missile Test

Evidence Shows Military Purpose in North Korean Rocket, Seoul Says -- New York Times
South Korea warns that North Korea has developed rockets that can reach the US mainland -- FOX News
S. Korea Says Debris Reveals North's ICBM Technology -- Voice of America
S. Korea Says N. Korea Rocket Debris Shows Possible Missile Test -- Bloomberg Businessweek
N. Korea develops missiles capable of reaching US – Seoul -- RT
North Korea rocket launch was 'missile test' -- Al Jazeera
North Korea 'rocket' could fly 10 000km -- News24
Why North Korea’s missile launch matters -- Ilan Berman, Washington Times

My Comment: Fortunately .... the North Koreans do not have the re-entry technology needed to deliver a missile .... at least for the moment.

North Korea Claims That It's Missile Can Reach The U.S. Mainland

North Korea Says Its Missiles Can Reach U.S. Mainland -- New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea claimed on Tuesday to have missiles that can reach the American mainland, and it said that the recent agreement between Washington and the South Korean government to extend the range of South Korean ballistic missiles was increasing the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has often threatened to strike the “heart” of the United States, and a popular propaganda poster there shows a North Korean missile hitting what looks unmistakably like Capitol Hill. But the warning issued Tuesday was more detailed.

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More News On North Korean Claims That Their Missiles Can Reach The U.S. Mainland

North Korea says U.S. is within its missile range -- USA Today/AP
Isolated North Korea says its rockets can hit U.S. mainland -- Reuters
North Korea says mainland America is now within its missile range -- Daily Mail
North Korea says it has ‘strategic rocket forces’ capable of striking U.S. mainland -- Globe and Mail/AFP
North Korea Missiles Warning -- Euronews
North Korea Says Its Rockets Could Hit Continental US -- Voice of America
North Korea says it has missiles that can reach the United States -- CNN
North Korea claims US mainland within range of its missiles -- NBC
N. Korea: Long-Range Rockets Can Hit Continental U.S. -- Bloomberg Businessweek
NORTH KOREA: We Have Missiles That Can Hit America -- Business Insider
North Korea Slams Seoul's Extended Missile Range -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea warns US on missiles after South deal -- BBC
North Korea threatens US after it helps South Korea -- Christian Science Monitor