North Korea has new intermediate range missile: US source

WASHINGTON (AFP) Sep 11, 2003
North Korea has developed a new intermediate range ballistic missile capable of striking neighboring countries but not the United States, a well-informed US government source disclosed late Wednesday.

The new weapon was described as a step-up from Scud and No Dong-type missiles, the mainstays of Pyongyang's arsenal, which are based on old Soviet-era technology and often lack accuracy.

But details about the new missile were scarce as US intelligence agencies continued to assess the system and search for more information.

"The North Koreans have developed a new mobile intermediate range ballistic missile," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. "And it's different than the Taepo Dong," which Pyongyang fired into the Sea of Japan in 1998.

The source said the new missile was land-based and did not have the range to reach the United States.

Earlier reports that the weapon was fashioned after an old Soviet submarine-launched missile, the SSN-6 Sawfly, could not be confirmed.

The Pentagon declined to confirm or deny the report late Wednesday.

SPACE.WIRE