Satellites show more activity at North Korean missile site
| Washington
A new satellite image shows a marked increase in activity at a North Korean missile launch site, pointing to a possible long-range ballistic missile test by聽聽in the next three weeks, according to satellite operator聽听滨苍肠.
The imagery was released days after a Japanese newspaper,听, reported that聽聽analysts had detected moves that were seen as preparation by聽聽for a long-range missile launch as early as this month.
, which provides commercial satellite imagery to the聽聽and foreign governments, on Monday released a new image that it said showed increased activity at North Korea's Sohae (West Sea)聽.
It said the imagery showed more people, trucks and other equipment at the site, a level of activity that was consistent with preparations seen before聽's failed April 13 rocket launch.
"Given the observed level of activity noted of a new tent, trucks, people and numerous portable fuel/oxidizer tanks, should聽聽desire, it could possibly conduct its fifth satellite launch event during the next three weeks,"聽聽said in a statement accompanying the image.
础听聽spokeswoman declined to comment on the reported satellite images, but said the Defense Department's position on聽's missile development efforts had not changed.
She urged聽聽to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions that "require聽聽to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, and re-establish its moratorium on missile launching."
, which carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 and is under heavy U.N. sanctions for its atomic weapons program, has tried for years to influence major events in South Korea by waging propaganda or armed attacks.聽聽is gearing up for a presidential election on Dec. 19.
North and聽聽have been technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and regional powers have for years been trying to rein in the North's nuclear program.
聽is believed to be developing a long-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 4,200 miles (6,700 km) aimed at hitting the continental聽聽but the last two rocket test launches failed.
In April, under its new leader聽,听聽launched a rocket that flew just a few minutes covering a little over 60 miles (100 km) before crashing into the sea between聽听补苍诲听.
