DPRK missile launch raises concerns

The flight path announced for a North Korean long-range missile launch next month is consistent with those for an Earth observation satellite, analysts said. The North Korean government this month announced that it placed a moratorium on long-range missile launches and nuclear tests in exchange for food assistance from the United States. It later announced plans to launch an Earth observation satellite using a long-range missile in April. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the move would be in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from conducting launches that use ballistic missile technology. North Korea aims to use its domestically produced Unha-3 rocket from near the Chinese border. The flight plan would carry it over waters to the south. Unidentified aerospace analysts told The Daily Telegraph newspaper in London that the flight plan was consistent with the launch of a satellite. Clinton, however, had said the move was "provocative." Other unidentified sources told the British newspaper there was concern that North Korea's limited experience with long-range rockets suggested the mission was unlikely to succeed. The report added that Japan has security plans in place should the missile approach its airspace.