It has emerged that on February 11th, the day before North Korea’s most recent nuclear test, the country also conducted what appears to have been a ‘KN-08’ long-range missile engine test at the West Sea Launch Site at Dongchang-ri in Cheolsan County, North Pyongan Province.
An intelligence source in Seoul revealed the news on the 17th, saying, “We believe that North Korea conducted an engine test on the as-yet un-launched ‘KN-08’ in an effort to expand it’s range beyond 5,000km to the level of an ICBM. If they judge that the engine test was a success, then they may start deploying it.”
The KN-08 is the external classification of a missile revealed for the first time travelling atop a Chinese-made launch vehicle in a military parade in Pyongyang organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung on April 15th, 2012.
Although not an immediate threat, the test has aroused concerns that a full KN-08 test may follow in the footsteps of any UN Security Council response to the latest nuclear test.
“It is worth noting that North Korea conducted the KN-08 engine test while exposed to U.S. satellite surveillance,” a second official source noted. “The fact that the KN-08 engine test was held the day before the nuclear test also shows the North Koreans wanting to boost their threat level against the U.S.”
Meanwhile, however, the government has rejected claims made by a U.S.-based online source that a new missile launch is being prepared at North Korea’s older missile test site on the East Sea coast at Musudan-ri, North Hamkyung Province.
“These are signs of repair work, and do not indicate an imminent launch,” the second source explained.
