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N. Korea adding more facilities to rocket launch site: 38 North

All News 04:21 May 29, 2015

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is adding more facilities to its recently expanded rocket launch site on the country's west coast, the website 38 North said Thursday, casting doubt over speculation Pyongyang may launch a long-range rocket in October.

The North completed the upgrading of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station last year to make it accommodate larger rockets with heavier payloads. The site is where the North successfully fired a long-range rocket and put a satellite into orbit in late 2012.

Though the upgrading of the gantry to support a larger rocket was completed, Pyongyang has been further modifying the launch area to include a new support building at the east end of the pad and a platform that appears to move along rails from that building to the launch tower, 38 North said, citing recent satellite imagery.

"While the exact purpose of this building remains unclear, one possibility is that the North Koreans are building a complex similar to facilities observed in China, such as at the Jiuquan Launch Center, that include buildings where the launch vehicle is assembled, processed, and checked, then placed on a movable platform and rolled to the launch tower," it said.

The construction raises questions about recent media speculation that the North could launch a long-range rocket on the 70th anniversary of Korean Workers Party in October, the website said.

"It would appear difficult although not impossible for the construction to be completed in time to prepare for such a launch. However, ongoing work should not preclude an October launch if North Korea were to interrupt construction and conduct those preparations using existing missile assembly and other facilities," it said.

The upgrade project is another indicator the North is determined to pursue its space program and points to the fielding of a future space launch vehicle larger than the current one, 38 North said.

"A new larger SLV may further contribute to the North's development of long-range ballistic missiles and provide another sign of Pyongyang's serious commitment to its space program," it said.

The North's missile program has long been a key security concern in the region and beyond.

The communist nation is believed to have developed advanced ballistic missile technologies through a series of test launches, including the most recent and successful launch in 2012.

That test sparked fears that the North has moved closer to ultimately developing nuclear-tipped missiles that could potentially reach the mainland United States. The country has so far conducted three underground nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

jschang@yna.co.kr
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