Rice: ICBM Test Would Break Agreement

Regarding North Korea’s attempt to test fire a missile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on June 19 (local time), “North Korea’s missile launching will violate the moratorium on missile testing it agreed to in 1999, and the moratorium is also part of the Beijing agreement (joint statement of six-party talks).”

The U.S. regards the North’s missile testing as a breach of the joint statement, citing the phrase in the statement of the six-party talks, “six signatories are committed to joint efforts for lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia.”

Rice, at a press conference held at the State Department, mentioned this and warned that “North Korea’s missile test is a serious provocative act.”

In order to counter the North’s move toward launching a missile, the U.S. and Japan are considering speeding up cooperation on the establishment of a missile defense system (MD), including the plan to field a ground-to-air missile, Patriot Advanced Capability Level-3 (PAC3) for intercepting missiles within this year, reported the Sankei Shimbun yesterday.

Meanwhile, regarding the possibility of North Korea’s fueling the rocket, Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Kim Seung-gyu stated yesterday at the general meeting of Intelligence Committee, “From a technical perspective, it is difficult to believe that the North has completed its fueling.”

According to Chung Hyung-keun, Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker and a secretary of the Intelligence Committee, the satellite picture of the area around the missile launching site in Musudan-ri, Hwadae-gun, North Hamgyong Province, showed 40 fuel tanks, but the NIS considers that they are not sufficient to fuel a projectile estimated to be 65 tons.

Concerning the possibility of North Korea’s missile test, Director Kim noted, “We have no other option but to wait because North Korea should make a technical and political decision.”

In addition, the NIS said at the meeting that the missile the North is likely to launch is what seems to be a Taepodong-2, which has a range of more than 6,000 kilometers.

Uri Party chairman Kim Geun-tae told the government officials, who attended the party leadership meeting, including Unification Minister Lee Jong-suk, that North Korea shouldn’t receive an obscure message and that the government should increase efforts to resolve the issue.