Feb. 2, 2016 / 2:45 PM
North Korea jointly developed missile technology with Iran, analyst says
North Korea has not stopped developing its nuclear weapons program.
Elizabeth Shim
North Korea jointly developed rocket boosters with Iran – and the technology could be deployed in a long-range ballistic missile launch, an analyst said. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
SEOUL, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- North Korea jointly developed rocket boosters with Iran – and the technology could be deployed in a long-range ballistic missile launch.
Jeffrey Lewis, a North Korea analyst at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif., said that the movement of vehicles near North Korea's launch site indicates a ballistic missile launch is highly possible, Jiji Press reported.
Lewis told Japan press North Korea could launch a rocket similar in size to the Unha-3, which was fired in December 2012, but added the possibility Pyongyang could launch another rocket, equipped with a 80-ton rocket booster developed in cooperation with Iran, cannot be ruled out.
On Monday North Korea notified a United Nations agency of its plan to launch a satellite in February, but the plan could be a cover for a test of Pyongyang's ballistic missile technology.
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Other reports indicate North Korea has not stopped developing its nuclear weapons program.
The Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., said in a report issued Monday recent satellite imagery of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex showed the construction of a new nuclear facility on the premises, Yonhap reported.
"The precise purpose of this site remains unknown. However, it is of interest because the signatures visible through a historical analysis of satellite imagery are consistent with an isotope separation facility, including tritium separation," the report read, referring to satellite images from Jan. 25.
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In a previous report, the institute stated Pyongyang has enough nuclear material to build 22 nuclear weapons, and is in possession of 66-88 pounds of separated plutonium.
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