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             US, S. Korea Remain on Alert for N. Korea Missile Test

   by VOA News

   U.S. and South Korean forces remain on heightened alert for a possible
   North Korean missile test that officials say could take place at any
   time.
   South Korea's defense ministry Thursday said it is fully prepared to
   deal with a North Korean launch. A spokesperson, Kim Min-seok, insisted
   the military is ready to intercept the rocket.
   "Our military is concerned a North Korean missile launch can threaten
   our territory and our people's safety, so we are preparing a full
   defensive posture," said Kim. "Also, we are preparing so that when
   North Korea launches the missile, we can immediately figure out where
   it is heading."
   Kim said Seoul believes the launch could occur on or before the Monday
   birthday of North Korea's late founding leader, Kim Il Sung. The date
   is one of the most important on the North Korean calendar.
   But the defense ministry refused to comment on a report by Japan's
   Kyodo news agency, which quoted an unnamed Tokyo defense official as
   saying a North Korean missile launcher was in a "raised position."
   North Korea is believed to have moved several mid-range missiles to its
   east coast in preparation for tests to demonstrate its ability to
   strike American targets in the region.
   Officials believe the missiles include the previously untested Musudan,
   which has a longer range and could potentially reach South Korea,
   Japan, or the U.S. territory of Guam.
   Joint U.S.-South Korean forces have already raised their alert level to
   "WatchCon 2," indicating a vital threat. At the Pentagon, Defense
   Secretary Chuck Hagel warned further provocation by the North is
   unacceptable.
   "North Korea has been, with its bellicose rhetoric, with its action,
   has been skating very close to a dangerous line," said Hagel. "Their
   actions and words have not helped defuse a combustible situation.''
   Meanwhile, South Korea is suggesting dialogue with the North could help
   reduce tensions. The South's Unification Ministry Thursday called on
   Pyongyang to engage in talks over the closure of a joint industrial
   center.
   North Korea this week pulled its workers from the Kaesong industrial
   zone, placing in doubt the future of the last remaining sign of
   economic cooperation between the two wartime foes. It earlier blocked
   South Korean access to the center.
   The North's official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday blamed what
   it called the "confrontational" policies of South Korean President Park
   Geun-hye for bringing the complex to "the brink of shutting down."
   Kaesong is an important source of revenue for the cash-strapped North
   Korean government. Since its creation in 2003, it has served as an
   important bellwether for Korean relations. It has never been shut down.
   In recent weeks, North Korea has threatened an all-out war against the
   U.S. and South Korea. It is upset over the latest U.N. sanctions on its
   nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
   Pyongyang has warned foreigners to leave South Korea, warning they may
   be caught up in what it called a "nuclear war." U.S. and South Korean
   officials dismissed the warning, and business in Seoul appears to have
   proceeded as usual.
   On Thursday, Taiwan became the first country to warn against traveling
   to North Korea. A foreign ministry statement urged citizens to delay
   non-essential trips to the country because of the unpredictability of
   the security situation.
   South Korea's central bank, however, reassured investors that the
   threats pose no immediate threat to Seoul's economy, which is Asia's
   fourth largest.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1639102.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1639102.html