N. Korea deploys medium-range missiles, bolsters special forces: defense

(3rd LD) (ATTN: RECASTS lead to clarify striking distance; UPDATES with more evaluations of
N. Korean military, ADDS background on missile development and others in last 9
paras)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has completed the deployment of brand-new
ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam and expanded
its special forces after examining U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, South Korea
said Monday.

The defense ministry also said in its latest assessment of the communist neighbor
that the North has recently bolstered its naval forces, reinforcing submarines
and developing new types of torpedoes.
The 2008 defense white paper, published after weeks of delay, terms the North's
1.19-million-strong military an "immediate and grave threat," as tension runs
high along a western sea border.
North Korea last month nullified all cross-border military agreements and warned
of an armed clash near the Northern Limit Line -- the scene of deadly naval
battles in 1999 and 2002.
The line was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led United Nations command at the end
of the 1950-53 Korean War, which technically continues to this day because it
ended in a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the
North, which recently reorganized and reinforced its special forces after
reviewing U.S. conflicts in the Middle East, according to a South Korean
official.
"After examining the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, North Korea appears to have
developed new strategies that can complement its shortfalls while reinforcing its
strengths," said Shin Won-sik, deputy of policy planning at the Ministry of
National Defense.
The number of lightly-equipped special troops who focus on swift infiltration to
strike U.S. and South Korean forces from behind has increased 50 percent to
180,000, Shin said.
"Their aim appears to blur the line between friend and foe once a conflict
erupts," he said at a briefing, suggesting the North would engage in guerrilla
warfare to make up for its lack of advanced weaponry. "North Korea deems it very
important to be able to quickly cause disarray among its enemies.
The biennial policy report put the amount of plutonium the North has secured at
about 40 kilograms and said Pyongyang has finished the development of its
intermediate-range ballistic missiles that began in the late 1990's.
The missiles were deployed as of last year and can travel up to about 3,000
kilometers -- enough to threaten U.S. bases in Guam -- while carrying warheads of
up to 650 kilograms, according to the paper.
The publication did not specify the number of medium-range missiles the North has
deployed "for operational use," but the assessment comes as Washington warns
Pyongyang to stop honing its missile technology.
U.S. and South Korean officials say the North appears to be preparing to
test-fire its longest-range missile, the Taepodong-2, on its east coast.
The multi-stage rocket has an estimated range of over 6,700 kilometers,
theoretically putting Alaska and Hawaii within its striking distance.
A Taepodong-2 missile crashed soon after takeoff in a July 2006 test, but the
North appears to have since "taken complementary measures," the report said.
"It can be concluded that the striking distance could be improved if a warhead
gets less heavy or a third-stage rocket is additionally installed," it added.
North Korea has expanded the warhead capacity of its short-range missiles across
the board, the report said, while the number of its soldiers has increased by
20,000 from 2006. South Korea has 655,000 troops.
The North's multiple rocket launchers, which experts believe have a range of
hundreds of kilometers and are capable of dodging counter artillery, increased to
5,100, an increment of 300, the report said.
"The North is increasingly deploying missile equipment that can move around" to
avoid counter fire, it said.
Weapons experts say North Korea is believed to have some 600 Scud missiles and
about 100 Rodong missiles -- retrofitted Scuds. It has also developed the
Taepodong-1 which can fly up to 2,500 kilometers.
The Taepodong-2 missile has been designed to carry a nuclear warhead, experts
say. But intelligence sources play down the likeliness of the North having
obtained the needed technology.
The North has also completed the integration of its naval commands through an
advanced electronic network, the report said, while strengthening its
capabilities in cyber warfare.
Supplies to the military have been guaranteed priority despite a moribund
economy, and the troops are staying "on the highest alert" after threatening
conflict near the NLL, according to the report.
"There are still many underground tunnels" that have yet to be discovered under
the South Korean territory, Shin said, while the North continues to deploy more
of its tanks to the front lines.
Relations between the divided Koreas deteriorated after South Korean President
Lee Myung-bak took office last year with a tougher stance on the North, drawing a
bitter reaction from Pyongyang.
North Korea operates 300 munitions factories while storing up to 5,000 tons of
chemical weapons, the white paper added.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)