January 29, 2016 7:00 am JST
North Korea
Is Pyongyang returning to missile-launching gambit?
HIROSHI MINEGISHI, Nikkei staff writer
SEOUL -- North Korea may be preparing to fire a long-range missile in another round of brinksmanship as the U.S. and China discuss sanctions in response to the Jan. 6 nuclear test.
Pyongyang finished renovations on its Tongchang-ri missile site last year, including upgrading a 50-meter launch tower to 70 meters for greater range, according to multiple sources.
Surrounding areas are now covered up, with even U.S. satellites unable to see inside. But movements of both people and vehicles in its vicinity have increased.
The Japanese and South Korean governments would not comment Thursday on whether they knew what preparations might be taking place.
North Korea often carries out nuclear tests and missile launches around the same time. The country has been working on smaller, more powerful nuclear warheads and more accurate missiles since the days of Kim Jong Il.
Pyongyang has always launched a ballistic missile before nuclear tests, South Korean defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters Thursday. But none was fired before the latest detonation, feeding concerns that a missile launch could come soon.
Current leader Kim Jong Un may be keen to list a successful missile launch as an achievement, especially with the ruling Workers' Party holding its first congress in 36 years this May.
Experts say China's reluctance to get tough, such as its rebuffing of American demands to cut off North Korea's oil supply, will only serve to encourage Pyongyang. Beijing is adamant about keeping the North as a buffer state, and Kim Jong Un knows that it will not impose sanctions that could topple the government, according to Hong Kwan-hee, a professor at Korea University.
Pyongyang refuses to abandon nuclear development as long as U.S. pursues hostile policies against the country. Many experts believe that it will fire a missile sooner or later.
But others see a launch as more of a diversion. North Korea's biggest diplomatic goal is a peace treaty with the U.S. that recognizes the current government. Trying to threaten Washington into a dialogue is one of Pyongyang's favorite tactics.
