N. Korea may have sea-based missile system: report

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may have developed a sea-based
missile system that could pose a significant threat to the mainland United
States, according to a recent U.S. congressional report.

Pyongyang might have assembled medium and intermediate-range weapons based on
Soviet R-27 submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology, the
Congressional Research Report suggested. North Korea reportedly purchased 12
decommissioned Russian Foxtrot and Golf-II class submarines for scrap metal from
a Japanese company.
"The Golf-IIs, which are capable of carrying three SS-N-5 SLBMs, did not have
their missiles or electronic firing systems when they were sold to the North
Koreans, but they did allegedly retain significant launch sub-systems including
launch tubes and stabilization systems," said the report, which was most recently
updated on Feb. 24.
Some experts believe that "this technology, in conjunction with the R-27's
well-understood design, gives North Korea the capability to develop either a
submarine or ship-mounted ballistic missile," the report said. "It is also
possible, according to some observers, that North Korea might attempt to
incorporate this launch technology into a merchant ship."
The report comes amid speculation that the North is preparing to launch an
updated version of its Taepodong-2 land-based missile, which is theoretically
capable of striking the western U.S.
Pyongyang maintains it is getting ready to send a communications satellite into
orbit, and has said any attempt to shoot its rocket down would be an act of war.
It has informed international aviation and maritime agencies that the launch will
take place between April 4-8.
The U.S. and its allies are threatening to impose further sanctions if the North
goes ahead with its plans, but it remains unclear whether Russia and China --
North Korea's staunchest communist ally and its largest benefactor -- will join
in.
Officials in Seoul and Washington have underlined that the launch, whether it
turns out to be a missile or a satellite, would violate U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1718.
The resolution was adopted in 2006 after the North unsuccessfully test-fired a
ballistic missile. Defense experts highlight that the technologies involved in
launching a missile and a satellite are essentially the same.
The congressional report said that the R-27 is "an excellent choice on which to
base a new missile system," adding "Its 40 year-old, liquid-fueled technology is
considered within the technological and industrial capabilities of North Korea
and versions of its engines are already used in North Korean SCUDs and Nodongs."
The R-27 is a proven design meaning that North Korea would be able to develop and
deploy these missiles without having to conduct extensive ground or flight tests,
it said.
North Korea's development of a sea-based ballistic missile system could
destabilize the U.S. missile defense system.
"A North Korean sea-launched missile capability could complicate intelligence
collection efforts as well as present challenges for South Korean, Japanese and
U.S. ballistic missile defense systems," the report said, fearing that such a
system could threaten the continental U.S. with more accuracy and greater range.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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