N.Korea Has Eight Medium-Range Missile Pads: NIS(Taepodong-2 is also prep'ed)

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 07/12/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

N.Korea Has Eight Medium-Range Missile Pads: NIS

The secret service says it has spotted eight launch pads for medium range missiles in North Korea. National Intelligence Service Director Kim Seung-gyu told a parliamentary committee Wednesday the launch pads were believed to be for Rodong-2 or Scud missiles.

The NIS believes the missiles can be fired from the pads within three or four hours of preparation but the likelihood that they will be is small, a member of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee said.

The NIS chief was quoted as saying that a long-range Taepodong-2 missile North Korea test-fired on July 5 exploded some 40 seconds after launch, and debris was found in inland areas west of the launch site. Asked if the North is likely to test another, he said trailers carrying parts were spotted around the assembly and maintenance building at the Musudanri missile base in Taepodong, from where the first was launched, and support vehicles are constantly going in and out of the site. The NIS also says there are some 30 missile fuel storage tanks near the launch site but it cannot tell if they are new or empty. That could suggest plans for another test launch, but it is more likely that the North is trying to find out why the first missile failed, Kim was quoted as telling lawmakers.

Another Taepodong-2 launch is theoretically possible within five to seven days once the North solves the technical defects, but this could take weeks or even months, he said.

[ichabod1]

I'm not too much of a tinfoil guy, but either by design or circumstance it seems like they're bear-baiting us. Might work too.

[thinking]

Interesting insight....a thought I had is, do the NKs think that next battle over there, will be a one-sided effort, dont they realise, that embattled armies shoot back...

[ichabod1]

Now is the time to resurrect all the liberal quotes of two-three years ago about how NORTH KOREA is the most terrible one on the global block, and that we ought to stand up to it. That will shut some of these lib reporters up.

It won't shut them up... you ought to know them better than that. Down the memory hole!

[ichabod1]

Seoul is the mother of all stationary targets.

If there's to be a war let it begin THERE! (easy for me to say, eh?)

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The North Korean army is vastly larger and tougher than Saddam's forces. It would be extremely painful, sanguinary and difficult to destroy it, assuming that China does not intervene again. Kim may be bluffing, but he may be just crazy enough to "try something". In any event, war in Korea is not something that any American president would want to be involved in.

[RightWhale]

Can someone please explain what is going on in this world?

To explain is to show the structure. It might not be the true structure but a structure that appears to be. Pick who you want to do the explaining. Algore? Kim Capone? Some 18 year old moslem with a bomb?

[ichabod1]

I think that we probably do not wish to have to shoot down their missle if we can possibly help it, though I'd like to think we gave an airborne (or space borne) laser assist to the taepodong's demise. A big part of this particular chess game is trying to get us to show our cards -- what our capabilities are. We shouldn't do that unless we have to.

[ichabod1]

My understanding is that they DO have thousands of tubes, and that they are in hardened caves in the mountains, perhaps not impervious, but not where they can be taken out quickly or before an opening salvo.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Well, you do have a point.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #40

I think so. I don't know the coordinates, though. Sorry.:)

[rahbert]

depends - do you have kids in the Army over there?

I have.

[AmericanInTokyo]

If you are using Google Earth, and you can put gridmarks in there and plot out the lat. and long. grids (check box found under "View"), well, you can find the Taepodong launch site complete with the shadow of the rocket tower, at approximately the following:

N40Deg 51'21.24" and E129Deg 39'58.5" --or thereabouts....

It is just in the rolling hills, a few miles due northwest of a curving inlet bay on the Sea of Japan/East Sea that looks similar to Monterey (Cal) bay.... to the slight west of this is the range control facility, and to the north of it missile assembly facility.

Regarding the Scud/Nodong sites, one might have a little more difficult time using Google, looking around in eastern Gangwondo Province of North Korea near the port of Wonsan.

Here, this old B/W photo--without missile facilities of course, will help on finding the seaside inlet/bay to then trace up to the launch site a short distance away:

[JimSEA]

On Google Earth, to coordinates of the most obvious (to me anyhow) launch complex is the vicinity of 40 d 51' 04" North 129 d 40' 56" East. I find it interesting to google most any North Korean town and then do the same with any Japanese, South Korean, or other free nation town. The contrast is startling even from above -- where would you choose to live.

[gaijin]

"...it is likely that the North is trying to find out why the first missile failed..."