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WORLD NEWSFriday 5 February 2016
Seoul, Tokyo threaten to intercept N. Korean rocket debris
HYUNG-JIN KIM Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force “Oosumi” carries PAC-3 missile interceptors as the transport fall off the west coast of
Associated Press vessel sails through Seto Inland Sea off Kure, Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan Thursday, Feb. South Korea, more de-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 4, 2016 to prepare for a planned rocket launch by North Korea. bris would land near the
— South Korea and Japan South’s Jeju Island, and the
vowed to shoot down any Associated Press second stage would land
debris that falls on their ter- off the Philippines’ east
ritories from a long-range the North is preparing for rity Council have already urged restraint over North coast.
rocket that North Korea a space launch in com- pledged to pursue fresh Korea’s announcement of Moon, the South Korean
plans to fire this month, ing weeks, according to sanctions on North Korea its launch plans, and ex- military spokesman, said
with Seoul saying Thurs- 38 North, a North Korea- over its recent nuclear test. pressed skepticism over that South Korea would
day that it has detected focused website run by South Korea’s president on the U.S. calls for tough new fire missiles to intercept the
launch preparations by the U.S-Korea Institute at Thursday called for strong sanctions. North Korean rocket or its
Pyongyang. Johns Hopkins School of U.N. sanctions that will U.N. Secretary-General Ban fragments if they threaten
North Korea has informed Advanced International make North Korea realize it Ki-moon said the North Ko- to fall on its territories. Ja-
international organizations Studies. cannot survive if it does not rean announcement “will pan’s defense minister said
that it will launch an obser- However, the website said abandon its weapons pro- further aggravate the pro- Wednesday he issued a
vation satellite aboard a it was impossible to tell grams. found concerns that the missile-shoot-down order
rocket between Feb. 8 and from the satellite imagery There are questions, how- international community and deployed Aegis de-
25. South Korea, the United whether a space launch ever, over whether any already has in the wake of stroyers and PAC-3 missile
States and others say such vehicle was present. sanctions will force real the recent nuclear test,” a defense units to around To-
a move would be a cover South Korean and U.S. of- change in the North be- spokesman said. kyo and Okinawa in case
for a banned test of a mis- ficials said a launch would cause China, the North’s In South Korea and Japan, debris fall on the Japanese
sile that could strike the U.S. threaten regional secu- last major ally and a ve- there are fears about fall- territory.
mainland. rity and violate U.N. Secu- to-wielding U.N. Security ing debris, although noth- Seoul and Tokyo issued
The launch announce- rity Council resolutions that Council member, is reluc- ing landed in their territories similar plans before North
ment follows an outpour- ban the North from engag- tant to join in any harsh during the North’s most re- Korean rocket launches in
ing of global condemna- ing in any nuclear and bal- punishment against the cent launches. Seoul of- recent years.
tion over the North’s fourth listic activities. North. ficials estimated the first North Korea has spent de-
nuclear test on Jan. 6. If Diplomats at the U.N. Secu- Beijing on Wednesday stage of the rocket would cades trying to develop
North Korea’s past patterns operational nuclear weap-
are any clue, angry warn- ons along with missiles ca-
ings by Seoul, Washington pable of striking the main-
and their allies probably land United States.
won’t dissuade a coming North Korea’s last long-
launch. range rocket launch, in
South Korea’s Defense December 2012, was seen
Ministry said Thursday that as having successfully put
the North is pushing ahead the country’s first satellite
with the launch plans at into orbit after a string of
its west coast Tongchang- failures.
ri launch site. Spokesman Each new rocket launch
Moon Sang Gyun said improves North Korea’s
South Korea is using Aegis- missile technology, which
equipped destroyers, air- is crucial for its goal of de-
craft, sophisticated radars veloping a nuclear-armed
and other surveillance as- missile capable of hitting
sets to monitor the North’s the U.S. mainland.
launch preparations but North Korea, an autocra-
refused to provide further cy run by the same family
details. since 1948, is estimated to
Recent commercial sat- have a handful of crude
ellite images showed an nuclear devices and an
increased number of ve- impressive array of short-
hicles at North Korea’s So- and medium-range mis-
hae launch station on Feb. siles, but it closely guards
1, compared to a week details about its nuclear
earlier. This suggests that and missile programs.q
