The Yomiuri Shimbun February 21, 2009
New image of N. Korean missile site shows activity
By Hiroshi Masumitsu
WASHINGTON--A U.S. firm that operates high-resolution imaging satellites released a photo Thursday that shows increased activity at the Musudan-ri missile launch site in northeastern North Korea.
It has been reported that North Korea has moved equipment to the Musudan-ri site and appears to be preparing to test-fire a missile.
The image, taken Tuesday by DigitalGlobe Inc., shows many people in front of a missile assembly and inspection building.
GlobalSecurity.org, a U.S. military think tank, said the photo shows an unusual level of activity.
The Musudan-ri launch site is the facility from which North Korea launched a Taepodong-2 missile in 2006. The site also contains a missile control building and a launchpad.
The image shows the size of the missile assembly and inspection building was extended by about 30 meters when compared with pictures of the facility taken in June. The enlargement of the building corresponds to a possible larger missile, GlobalSecurity Senior Fellow Tim Brown said.
© Copyright 2009, The Yomiuri Shimbun
