(2nd LD) N. Korea believed to have revamped missile technology: source

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By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is believed to have improved its missile
technology to expedite the technical procedure for test-firing its most advanced
missile, a South Korean intelligence source said Thursday.
Citing classified information, the source said the communist state has also
revamped its launch pad on the east coast -- the site of two high-profile missile
tests in 1998 and 2006.
"They have tried to improve (the missile) for the last couple of years, and we
believe there has been improvement," the source said.
North Korea test-fired its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile in 2006, sharply
raising regional tensions. But outside intelligence officials say the missile
crashed shortly after take-off.
"We do not believe it would take as long as then" for Pyongyang to get ready to
test-fire what is believed to be another Taepodong-2 missile, the source said.
The source refrained from discussing how much the procedure could be shortened.
South Korean defense officials had estimated earlier this week that preparations
for a launch could take a month or two.
The Taepodong-2 model is capable of traveling up to 6,700 kilometers, putting
Alaska and the U.S. West Coast within its striking distance, according to weapons
experts.
"The North is likely to have revamped its technology related to the fuel storage
and engine parts," said Baek Seung-joo, a senior researcher at the state-run
Korean Institute for Defense Analyses.
The intelligence comes as North Korea continues to step up its harsh rhetoric
against South Korea.
Relations between the two hit one of their lowest levels in decades after South
Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office early last year with a tougher stance
on the North.
North Korea has reacted bitterly to him, declaring all cross-broder agreements
null and warning of an armed clash near a western sea border where naval clashes
turned deadly in 1999 and 2002.
Analysts say the North Korean moves are also aimed at influencing U.S. President
Barack Obama, whose foreign policy priorities are beginning to take form.
"What matters just as much as technical timing is the political timing," Baek
said, adding North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will consider political factors in
deciding whether he will push ahead with the missile maneuver.
North Korea has conducted missile tests whenever it deemed it necessary to raise
tension and pressure its partners in international talks aimed at dismantling its
nuclear weapons programs.
The six-nation talks, which include the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia, Japan and
China, remain deadlocked as the North refuses to accept a U.S. proposal for
verification methods.
The source added it remains unknown whether the North has developed the
technology to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile believed to have a 500
kilogram payload.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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