North Korea upgrades missile tower in preparation for October launch.

(Baonghean.vn) - North Korea has erected a new and taller launch tower at its missile base, possibly in preparation for firing a long-range missile on a national holiday in October, Yonhap news agency reported on July 22.

The Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket, carrying the second version of the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, was launched from the satellite launch site in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea on December 12, 2012. Photo: Reuters/KCNA.

The 67-meter-tall tower will serve to launch a longer-range rocket than the one test-fired in December 2012. According to Yonhap news agency, that test launch was widely considered a success in putting an object into orbit.

United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from conducting tests using ballistic missile technology, but the country has ignored international warnings and sanctions to continue pursuing its missile and nuclear programs.

A South Korean government source stated, "In our assessment, North Korea will use the newly upgraded Tongchang-ri missile launcher to launch a larger, long-range missile than the Unha-3." The Unha-3 is a long-range missile that was fired in 2012 from a base near the country's west coast.

According to the same source, the missile launch could take place around the 70th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party on October 10th.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense could not immediately confirm the news, but an official said they were seeking to verify it.

North Korea is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but it will be many years before it is deployed.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)