Reports: N. Korea preparing for missile test

[unhappycamper]

Reports: N. Korea preparing for missile test
By Kwang-Tae Kim - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 3, 2009 14:17:26 EST

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s apparent preparations for a ballistic missile test, reportedly detected by South Korean officials monitoring a train headed to a launch site, appear to be the country’s latest attempt to get President Barack Obama’s attention.

A South Korean official on Tuesday confirmed the preparations, first reported by Japanese and South Korean media citing sources as saying the missile had the potential to reach the western United States.

“There are signs North Korea is preparing for a missile launch,” the intelligence official told The Associated Press. He declined to give further details and spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said any North Korean ballistic missile launch would be “unhelpful and, frankly, provocative” as the U.S. and others work to persuade the North to scrap its atomic weapons.

Wood said North Korean missile activities and programs are a “concern to the region” but would not speak further about the South Korean reports.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_north_korea_missile_020309/%2e