North Korea in new missile tests
North Korea reportedly test-launched five short-range missiles in what analysts said was an attempt to improve its bargaining position before possible talks with the US.
North Korea has recently reached out to the US and South Korea following months of tension over its nuclear and missile tests earlier this year.
Leader Kim Jong Il told visiting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao last week that his government might return to stalled six-nation negotiations on its nuclear programme depending on the outcome of direct talks it seeks with the US.
Washington has said it is considering holding talks with North Korea as part of efforts to restart the six-party negotiations.
The missile launches off North Korea’s east coast yesterday were the first by the communist nation since it test-fired seven missiles in early July, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.
Yonhap, citing a South Korean official, said the KN-02 surface-to-surface missiles were fired from mobile launch pads and had a range of up to 75 miles. It said North Korea launched two missiles in the morning and three more in the afternoon.
South Korea’s defence ministry and National Intelligence Service – the country’s main spy agency – said they could not confirm the reports.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in Belfast yesterday that American efforts to resume the nuclear talks with North Korea would proceed despite the new tests.
South Korea’s YTN television network carried a report similar to Yonhap’s. It quoted an unidentified government source as saying North Korea had announced a no-sail zone in areas off the country’s east and west coasts for October 10-20 - an apparent indication the country could carry out more missile tests.
The reported launches appeared to be aimed at displaying North Korea’s missile capability to bolster its negotiating hand before talks with the US and other countries to wrest more concessions, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Dongguk University.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies, agreed and said that North Korea was unlikely to take more drastic steps such as its April long-range rocket test or May nuclear test.
Earlier Monday, South Korea proposed two sets of working-level talks with the North.
The South proposed that officials of the two sides meet tomorrow to discuss how to prevent floods in a border river and that Red Cross officials meet separately on Friday to discuss reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
But the unification ministry said South Korea had no plan to resume high-level talks with the North.
