PYONGYANG, North Korea, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- North Korea has transported a missile to a launch site on its east coast, intelligence agencies said.
Officials said Pyongyang used a special covered cargo carriage that made it difficult to track, The Chosun Ilbo reported Friday. The South Korean newspaper said the special cargo carriage is double the length of an ordinary carriage and is said to be capable of carrying the first- and second-stage rockets.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies cannot say how large the North Korean missile is but assume North Korea is assembling the missile at the launch site in Musudan-ri, North Hamgyong Province.
They say North Korea could test-launch the rocket as soon as Feb. 25, the first anniversary of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's inauguration.
"The Taepodong-2, which has been transported to the launch site in Musudan-ri recently, has not been seen near the launch pad yet. We assume that they are currently assembling the first and second-stage rockets," a South Korean official said.
Kang Sung-yoon, chief North Korea scholar at Seoul's Dongguk University, was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying North Korea "is most likely to test-fire its missile as it nears the elections."
