Seoul says N. Korean missile launch could trigger U.N. sanctions

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister on Monday dismissed
North Korea's claim that it is pursuing a "peaceful space program" amid growing
concern the secretive communist nation is preparing to test-fire a rocket in the
coming weeks.

"Whether it is a missile or a satellite, (a launch) would constitute a violation
of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718," Yu Myung-hwan said during a
parliamentary session in response to lawmakers' questions about Seoul's position
on the North's activities.
The U.N. resolution strictly prohibits North Korea from conducting further
missile tests. It was adopted by the U.N. Security Council in 2006 after the
North conducted a nuclear test just months after test-firing its long-range
Taepodong-2 missile, which failed about 40 seconds after launch.
Yu pointed out Pyongyang's previous track record of masquerading missile tests as
attempts to put a satellite into orbit.
"When North Korea fired its Taepodong-1 missile in August 1998, North Korea
called it a satellite," he said.
The technology used in missile and satellite launches is essentially the same,
with only their trajectories differing, the minister said.
Experts broadly agree that the long-range rocket currently being prepared by the
North for launch carries with it dual-use technology that can be used for
inter-continental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials have said that the North has stepped
up preparations for another missile launch in its remote eastern area.
The North acknowledged the reports but defended its actions earlier Monday,
saying it has the sovereign right to fire the rocket as part of its space
program.
"One will come to know later what will be launched in the DPRK (North Korea),"
Pyongyang's official news agency said without providing details on the timing of
a rocket launch.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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