North Korea Centennial Celebration show of Military might (16 Feb 2012)

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea on Sunday unveiled what appeared to be a new missile at a military parade in Pyongyang. The missile, displayed during celebrations for the centennial of the birth of late North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, appears to add to an arsenal that has raised international worries heightened by the country's simultaneous development of nuclear weapons. The celebrations come two days after North Korea fired a rocket widely viewed abroad as a provocative test of missile technology. The rocket failed about a minute after liftoff. Military analysts in Japan and South Korea said the missile on display Sunday appeared to be something newer -- and possibly bigger -- than what had previously been displayed. But they said further examination would be required to tell whether it was an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, that North Korea has reportedly had in the works for quite some time. A number of North Koreans at the parade said it was the first time they had seen the new missile. The exact design could not immediately be confirmed by military officials. "It looked like more than a mock-up, and like it could be intended as an ICBM, but it is very hard to tell at this point," said Isaku Okabe, a private Japanese military specialist. Sohn Young-hwan, a South Korean rocket scientist who heads the privately funded Institute of Technology and Management Analysis in Seoul, said the missile was possibly an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but ...
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