July 10, 2006
Korean Times
North Korea is expected to stockpile up to 250 intermediate Taepodong-1 and long-range Taepodong-2 missiles by 2010, a South Korean university said Monday.
In a book titled ``The Military of North Korea: A New Look,’’ the University of North Korean Studies said the communist state will be able to produce 120-250 Taepodong-1 and Taepodong-2 missiles by then, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Photo: One of the Taepodong 1 missiles seen in a N. Korean TV
The North's missile stockpile and technology have been at the center of global media focus since Pyongyang test-launched seven missiles including a Taepodong-2 last week, despite strong warnings by the United States and Japan.
Analysts say the North's Taepodong-2 rocket has the capability to strike the mainland U.S., while Japan is in range of missiles such as the Taepodong-1 and Rodong. In 1998, North Korea stunned the region by launching a Taepodong-1 over Japan into the Pacific, Yonhap reported.
The book said North Korea possesses top-class missile technology and currently deploys 100 intermediate-range Rodong missiles, which have a range of 1,000-1,400 kilometers.
There have been varying reports on North Korea's missile stockpiles, with the latest press report estimating the North has 600 Scud missiles and 2,000 Rodongs. Few documents and news reports have estimated its Taepodong missile stockpile.
The book said North Korea had exported 500 Scud-type missiles to Iran, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan by 1998,and began selling Rodong missiles to Iran and Pakistan in 1994.
``It is impossible for North Korea to completely give up weapons of mass destruction which it has been developing to bolster its 21st century security at the expense of its economy,’’ the book concluded.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200607/kt2006071018064911960.htm