North Korea displays new missile that can reach Guam, report says
The Associated Press
Published: April 29, 2007
SEOUL: North Korea has displayed a new ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. territory of Guam, a South Korean newspaper report over the weekend.
A military parade in Pyongyang on Wednesday featured three new models, including a medium-range missile that can travel 2,500 to 4,000 kilometers, or 1,500 to 2,500 miles, the paper, Chosun Ilbo, reported Saturday. The parade showcased 52 missiles and was reviewed by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il.
The report cited an unidentified South Korean government official familiar with an analysis of U.S. satellite images. The South Korean Defense Ministry said it had no comment. "All three models are ground-to-ground missiles," the official was quoted as saying. "Of them, the medium-range ballistic missile is noteworthy" because, the official added, it "has Guam in its range."
North Korea test-fired a series of missiles in July 2006, including its latest long-range model, the Taepodong-2, which experts say they believe could reach parts of the United States.
In October, North Korea conducted its first test of a nuclear device. South Korean experts say they believe that North Korea does not have a bomb design advanced enough to be placed on a missile. Kim Tae Woo, a missile expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said North Korea was suspected of developing a new missile, separate from its Nodong or Taepodong missile series.
"Personally, I was thinking that it was about the time for the North to show it off," Kim said.
"By disclosing its newest missiles in large numbers this time, North Korea showed off that its strategic weapons are centered on nuclear weapons and their means of delivery," Chosun Ilbo quoted a military official as saying.
North Korea displays new missile that can reach Guam
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