Satellite images taken this week of North Korea’s Sohae rocket launch site show apparent fueling activity seen in the past shortly before a rocket launch, a US think tank said, as US government officials signaled that a launch could occur as early as tomorrow.
North Korea has told UN agencies it would launch a rocket carrying what it called an earth observation satellite some time between tomorrow and Feb. 25, triggering international opposition from governments that see it as a long-range missile test.
US government sources on Friday said US intelligence agencies believed North Korea could be ready by the US Super Bowl kickoff, which would be tomorrow in Korea. Activity at the site was consistent with a launch in the time frame given by Pyongyang, US officials said.
Photo: Reuters
US Pacific Command said it was closely monitoring the situation and had many missile defense assets in the region that would provide “a robust defense.”
“No one should doubt that US Pacific Command forces are prepared to protect the American homeland and defend our allies in South Korea and Japan,” Pacific Command spokesman US Navy Captain Cody Chiles said.
Commercial satellite images from Wednesday and Thursday last week show the arrival of tanker trucks at the launch pad, said Washington-based 38 North, a North Korea-monitoring project.
It said the presence of the trucks likely indicated the filling of tanks within bunkers at the site rather than a rocket itself.
“In the past, such activity has occurred one to two weeks prior to a launch event and would be consistent with North Korea’s announced launch window,” the group said.
US President Barack Obama on Friday spoke by telephone with Chinese President Xi Jinping, (習近平) North Korea’s main ally and neighbor, and agreed that a North Korean launch would represent a “provocative and destabilizing action,” the White House said.
Obama and Xi also said they would coordinate efforts to respond to North Korea’s nuclear test last month and said they would not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state.
“The leaders emphasized the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea’s provocations, including through an impactful UN Security Council Resolution,” the White House said.
Washington and Beijing have appeared divided over how to respond to North Korea, with the US urging tougher sanctions and China stressing the need for dialogue.
Earlier on Friday, Xi told the South Korean president that China was dedicated to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.
The 38 North report said activity could also be seen around a building at the launch site used in the past to receive and assemble rocket stages.
It said the imagery showed vehicles including one or two buses and a crane, a level of activity similar to that seen before the previous launch in 2012.
The group said the images indicated no significant changes at the launch pad itself, where work platforms on the gantry towers remained folded forward.
It said coverings obscured whether a space-launch vehicle was present on the pad.
North Korea said it has a sovereign right to pursue a space program. However, under UN Security Council resolutions it is barred from using ballistic missile technology.
Coming so soon after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, a rocket launch would raise concern that it plans to fit nuclear warheads on its missiles, giving it the capability to strike South Korea, Japan and possibly the US West Coast.
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