North's new missile sites 'target Japan'

SEOUL (AP) North Korea is building new bases on its east coast, possibly to deploy ballistic missiles targeting Japan and its U.S. military installations, a state-run South Korean think tank said.

The move could involve plans to deploy the long-range Taepodong-2 missile that the North test-fired last month, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security said in a report seen Thursday by The Associated Press.

The reclusive state is also believed to have obtained Chinese technology via Iran while developing the Taepodong-2, its newest long-range missile and one believed capable of reaching the U.S., the state-run institute said in the report.

"New underground missile bases have been built or are under construction around the border with China and along the east coast," the report said. Those "on the east coast could be seen as bases for medium- or long-range missiles targeting Japan and U.S. military bases in Japan," it said.

Taepodong-2 and SSN-6 missiles, which have a range of up to 4,000 km, could be deployed to the new bases, the think tank said.

The report, dated July 26, didn't give a source for the information. Its main author, Yun Deok Min, could not be reached for comment.

Missile exports have been a major source of hard currency for North Korea. The report said the North makes $ 150 million a year from missile exports.

Buyers of North Korean missiles include Iran, Libya, Syria, Egypt and Yemen, according to the report.

"North Korea is at the center of global ballistic missile proliferation," it said.

Since North Korea launched a shorter-range Taepodong-1 over Japan in 1998, Pyongyang's missile program has become a major security issue in Northeast Asia, adding to concerns about the hardline regime's pursuit of nuclear arms.

Tensions flared anew when the Pyongyang regime test-fired seven missiles toward Japan on July 5, including a Taepodong-2. The missiles landed harmlessly in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, but the Taepodong-2 failed right after launch.

The report said North Korea closely cooperated with Iran in developing the Taepodong-2 and there is a high possibility Chinese designs and technology are being used in its development because Iran has cooperative relations with China in the defense industry.

The report also said the North has a Scud missile base just 50 km north of the border with South Korea that can hit targets deep in the South.