Another North Korean Missile Launch Coming?

Increased activity at North Korea’s Sohae satellite launch site indicates that the communist nation may be preparing to launch a long-range missile soon, reported Voice of America on Nov 27. The news service cited the Nov. 23 satellite image that DigitalGlobe, a US commercial satellite imagery provider, released on Nov. 26 showing “a marked increase in activity” at Sohae “consistent with launch preparations” witnessed prior to North Korea’s failed attempt in April to launch a multi-stage missile from there. DigitalGlobe estimated that a launch could come in “the next three weeks.” North Korea’s actions come as South Korea nears a presidential election on Dec. 19, according to VOA. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters on Nov 27 that the “United States’ position has not changed” on North Korean missile launches. “We continue to call on North Korea to comply fully with its obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874,” he said. They require North Korea “to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, and re-establish its moratorium on missile launching,” he said. (Little transcript) (See also CNN Security Clearance blog entry.)