N. Korea preparing to fire missiles from west coast: source

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea continues to show signs of preparations for
short-range missile launches from its west coast after firing five from its east
coast and testing a nuclear device, a South Korean source said Wednesday.

The source, who spoke strictly on condition of anonymity, could not confirm
whether North Korea extended its May 25-27 ban on ships from the waters off its
western shore.
North Korea detonated a nuclear device on Monday and has since fired five
short-range missiles off its east coast. South Korean officials said Tuesday
North Korea also appeared to be moving to launch rockets in the west.
"Signs continue to be seen that launches will take place in the west," the
defense source said.
Tension spiked in the Yellow Sea Wednesday after North Korea said it will no
longer guarantee the safe navigation of South Korean and U.S. naval vessels
there.
The threat came a day after South Korea announced its full participation in a
U.S.-led anti-proliferation campaign in apparent response to the second nuclear
test by North Korea.
Pyongyang conducted its first underground atomic test in October 2006.
"Various scenarios concerning North Korean missiles are being analyzed by the
South Korean military," the source said. Others said anti-ship missiles may be
among those being prepared on the west.
North Korea coupled its first nuclear test with firings of seven missiles,
including a long-range one that fizzled shortly after takeoff.
On April 5 this year, the communist country launched a rocket that the U.S. and
its allies fear could be converted into a ballistic missile capable of reaching
Alaska and Hawaii.
The North said it put a scientific satellite into orbit with the launch, while
its neighbors said nothing entered space.
Relations between the Koreas deteriorated over the past year after President Lee
Myung-bak took office in Seoul with a tougher stance on Pyongyang.
Lee has tied cross-border reconciliation to North Korean efforts to denuclearize,
while the communist state has called him a traitor and vowed retaliation.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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