South Korea: North Korea building long-range missile site

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
North Korea is building a new missile launch site capable of firing an even longer-range missile than the country has tested in the past, South Korea's defense minister said Tuesday. Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee told parliament that construction on the new missile site on North Korea's west coast, which began eight years ago, was about 80 percent complete. Lee said he believes the new site is designed to fire "a bigger-sized missile or satellite projectile" than rockets deployed on the North's existing east coast facility. North Korea's missile program has been a key regional concern, along with its nuclear weapons program. In 2006, the North launched a long-range Taepodong-2 missile from its east coast site. The missile, considered the country's most advanced rocket, has a range of more than 15,000 kilometers - far enough to strike the western US.