Activities brisk at missile factory south of Pyongyang: official

By Sam Kim
SINGAPORE, May 30 (Yonhap) -- Activities suggesting North Korea has begun
preparations for a long-range missile launch were detected at a munitions factory
south of Pyongyang, a senior South Korean official said Saturday.

The comment comes as officials in Washington and Seoul say the communist state
may be moving to launch a missile theoretically capable of hitting Alaska and
Hawaii.
North Korea has fired a series of short-range missiles on the east coast since it
conducted its second nuclear test on Monday. It fired a long-range rocket on
April 5, claiming it put a satellite into orbit, while the U.S. and its allies
say nothing entered space.
The South Korean official, who spoke on the sidelines of a security forum in
Singapore and declined to be identified, said North Korea appears to have started
preparations for another launch.
"Brisk activities similar to ones spotted ahead of the April launch are being
seen at the munitions factory south of Pyongyang," the official said, declining
to elaborate.
He could not immediately confirm reports that activities were brisk around two
North Korean missile pads.
samkim@yna.