Iran working with N.Korea on missiles
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thursday August 3, 12:37 PM Reuters
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Iran working with N.Korea on missiles: Institute*
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has been working closely with Iran to
develop its long-range ballistic missiles, possibly using Chinese
technology, and is building large bases to prepare for their deployment,
a South Korean state-run think tank said.
Communist North Korea is also building new sites near the Demilitarised
Zone border for short-range missiles and is deploying missiles with
improved precision that can strike most of Japan, the Institute of
Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) said in a report.
"The development of Taepodong-2 is conducted jointly with Iran, and it
is possible China's technology is used in the development of the
Taepodong-2 engine," said the IFANS report, which Reuters obtained on
Thursday.
The collaboration is part of an international network, including
Pakistan, that made it possible for the impoverished North to develop
and deploy missiles despite scarce resources and limited testing, the
study said.
North Korea fired seven missiles on July 5, including the long-range
Taepodong-2, which U.S. officials said failed seconds into its flight
and fell into waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula.
Christopher Hill, the top U.S. envoy to talks on the North's nuclear
programme, said last month one or more Iranians watched the North's
missile launch, deepening concerns about the ties between two countries
with troubling nuclear capabilities.
The Taepodong-2 is the product of joint efforts with Tehran, coinciding
with Iran's development of the Shehab-5 and 6, and "it is highly
possible that design and technology from China, which has an arms trade
with Iran, were used", the report said.
The North is building a missile command base 50 km (30 miles) north of
the Demilitarised Zone for as many as 30 mobile launch pads for the
short-range Scud-type Hwasong missiles that can hit military and
industrial targets deep in the South, IFANS said.
"With the deployment of Rodong and SSN-6 missiles and the pursuit to
deploy the Taepodong-2, the North is pushing ahead with the construction
of new sites and silos" on the east coast and on the border with China,
the IFANS report said.