The move came amid reports the North might be all set for the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) following back-to-back tests of related systems….reports Asian Lite News
The US military flew another major intelligence-collecting aircraft over the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, as Seoul and Washington were on the alert for a possible long-range rocket test by Pyongyang, according to a flight-tracking service.
The RC-135S Cobra Ball spy aircraft, based in Japan, made a sortie around the Peninsula, Yonhap News Agency quoted Flightradar24 as saying, a day after the US sent an RC-135V Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane here apparently in order to monitor North Korean military activities.
The move came amid reports the North might be all set for the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) following back-to-back tests of related systems.
“We are closely tracking and monitoring (North Korean activities),” an official at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters and stressed that Seoul is maintaining a “firm” defence posture.
The US and South Korea, in particular, have been keeping a close eye reportedly on the Sunan airfield and some other sites where the North conducted missile tests.
On March 11, Seoul and Washington accused Pyongyang of having conducted a new ICBM system test each on February 27 and March 5 ahead of a full-range launch, dismissing the North’s claim the twin tests were part of efforts to develop a “reconnaissance satellite”.
US, S Korea hold talks
The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan on Monday denounced North Korea’s recent missile tests and called on Pyongyang to cease acts that could escalate tensions, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, his US counterpart Sung Kim and Japan’s Takehiro Funakoshi spoke on the phone amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula over the possibility of Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system test, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The trio denounced the North’s recent spate of ballistic missile launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions and urged it to return to dialogue at an early date, the ministry said in a release.
They also agreed to closely monitor Pyongyang’s moves and remain in close cooperation to respond to its acts, it added.
South Korea and the US accused Pyongyang on March 11 of having tested a new ICBM system on February 27 and March 5 ahead of a full-range missile test.
Seoul and Washington have detected signs that North Korea is preparing to conduct another ICBM firing as early as this week, according to informed sources.
Concerns have persisted that the North could engage in more provocative acts as it made a veiled threat in January to lift its years-long self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests.
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