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North Korea Tests Long-Range Missile Engine
North Korea tested an engine for a long-range ballistic missile early last month, a South Korean newspaper has reported (see GSN, June 9). Testing of the engine that would power the multistage Taepodong 2 missile with a range of up to 6,000 kilometers occurred at the Musudan missile complex in North Hamgyong province, the South Korean JoongAng newspaper reported, citing diplomatic sources. Engine testing is often the final step before an actual missile flight test. “U.S. intelligence agencies think that the size of the combustion trace and the amount of liquid fuel used, hint that the test is part of an experiment to develop the Taepodong 2 missile,” JoongAng quoted a diplomatic source as saying. South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said the reported test could be a negotiating tactic by North Korea in advance of the next session of multilateral negotiations on its nuclear weapons programs. “North Korea has a record of making such gestures,” he said. Jeong added that he was unable to confirm that the test had occurred. However, he said North Korea has long sought development of long-range missiles. “This may not be entirely for negotiations. There may be other purposes,” he said. North Korea test-launched a Taepodong-1 missile with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers over Japan in August 1998 (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 10).
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