Seoul, July 18: North Korea has deployed a new battery of Rodong ballistic missiles that can hit targets throughout Japan, Seoul's defense ministry said in a new policy report today. The report said North Korea had "strengthened its long-range striking capability by recently deploying another battery of Rodong missiles" as part of its continued military build up.
The report did not specify how many missiles had been deployed, but a military analyst told a news agency that a North Korean battery usually consisted of nine missiles. The location of the new Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km was not disclosed in the policy report.
However, ministry officials said the North's missile reinforcement took place in June last year, adding that the Rodong missiles could hit all targets in Japan including the islands of Okinawa, home to US military bases. North Korea's missile development has been regarded as a major threat to regional security, on top of its recent suspected nuclear weapons drive.
The North has already deployed shorter-range Scuds and Rodongs, while actively developing longer-range Taepodong missiles.
The North test-fired a Taepodong-1 missile with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers over Japan in August 1998, claiming it was a satellite launch.
The development of Taepodong-2 missiles with a range of up to 6,000 km is underway in North Korea, according to defence ministry analysts here. Bureau Report