According to a US official,
Pyongyang has removed two medium-range Musudan missiles from the east coast
launch site after weeks of tension in the Korean peninsula over a possible
test-launch by the North.
The US official (names withheld) told
AFP new agency that a report from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency backed up by
an unnamed source from the government was released, saying that Pyongyang
appeared to have moved the missiles to an unspecified location.
According to military officers, a
Musudan missile has an estimated range of about 3,000 to 3,500km.
Giving North Korea’s
unpredictable behavior, a senior US official from the National Security Council
has warned that it was “premature to celebrate it as good news”, even though
the move is a sign of hope that Pyongyang has gone back on its threats to
launch the missiles.
Speaking with reporters, Pentagon
spokesman George Little said, “I wouldn’t again comment on intelligence. But, what
we have seen recently is a ‘provocation pause’. And we think that’s obviously
beneficial to efforts to ensure we have peace and stability on the Korean
peninsula.”
The move by Pyongyang came just
as Barack Obama and Park Guen-Hye, presidents of the US and South Korea
respectively, were preparing to meet at a summit in Washington.
Only last month, there were
indications that Pyongyang was preparing for a missile launch. But, the test
launch was going to be in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1718 of
2006, which prohibits the North from conducting any further nuclear test or
launch of a ballistic missile.
John Kerry, US Secretary of
State, had issued a warning to Pyongyang that it would be a “huge mistake” to
launch the missiles, even as Japan and South Korea strengthened their missiles
defences, and the US sent over their heavy artillery to the area in preparation
of any possible launch from Pyongyang.
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