North Korea is completing construction of a launch pad capable of accommodating a projectile larger than the rocket which was launched in December 2012, Seoul's newspaper reported Thursday.
"The construction of a launch pad slightly shorter than 60 meters in height at the Tongchang-ri missile base in North Pyongan Province," the Dong-A Ilbo quoted a South Korean government official as saying.
The launch pad can be mounted with a projectile twice as high as the Unha-3 rocket, which was presumed to be a 30-meter-high intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 13,000 kilometers, the daily said. Another official said, "North Korea conducted several high-explosive tests this year, more than it did in previous years. The North is continuing to carry out experiments to increase the missile range and explosive power." The South believes that the North has significantly advanced its technology for reducing the size of nuclear warheads. Pyongyang is also known to have conducted several tests to enhance the performance of missile engines.
Seoul believes that it is highly likely for the North to attempt to launch an inter-continental ballistic missile with an increased range and higher explosiveness, the report said, adding many observers in Seoul think that Pyongyang will likely launch a long-range rocket late this year or early next year.