S. Korea to dispatch advanced warship to monitor N. Korean rocket

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By Sam Kim
SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to dispatch an advanced destroyer
to the East Sea as North Korea finalizes steps to launch a rocket despite
international warnings, officials said Thursday.
"The Sejong the Great destroyer will conduct monitoring activities in the East
Sea," an official said, referring to the 7,600-ton vessel that detects and tracks
targets hundreds of kilometers away.
Four U.S. and Japanese destroyers patrol the waters after North Korea said
earlier this month that it would launch a communications satellite between April
4-8. Neighbors say the communist state could in fact be readying to test-fire a
ballistic missile that can theoretically hit Alaska.
Japan has suggested it may attempt interception if its airspace is breached,
while U.S. commanders emphasize the capability of their forces to intercept a
rocket approaching their territory.
North Korea set up its rocket at a launch pad on its east coast as early as
Wednesday morning, another official said, indicating Pyongyang is wasting no time
preparing for the launch.
"It was obvious the moment our satellite keyed on it," the official said, also
declining to be named.
Experts believe it will take at least three days for North Korea to complete the
injection of liquid fuel into its multi-stage rocket, a portion of which could be
loaded with solid fuel.
North Korea test-fired its longest-range ballistic missile in 2006, but it
crashed soon after take-off. The test prompted the United Nations to pass a
resolution banning North Korea from future tests of ballistic missile technology.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, while in Mexico on Wednesday
(local time), warned North Korea its rocket launch would be a "provocative act"
that could lead to serious consequences.
Commissioned in December last year, Sejong the Great is South Korea's first
Aegis-class destroyer loaded with about 120 missiles and torpedos.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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