South Korea: Missile Threat 'Very High'

US official warns multiple attacks possible
By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 10, 2013 7:36 AM CDT
Updated Apr 10, 2013 7:58 AM CDT
Koreas Tense, Quiet Amid 'Very High' Missile Threat
A North Korean vehicle carries a missile during a mass military parade.   (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File)

North Korea threatening imminent thermonuclear war? Must be Wednesday. "According to intelligence obtained by our side and the US, the possibility of a missile launch by North Korea is very high," South Korea's foreign minister said today, while CNN reports that a US official says Pyongyang could in fact be planning multiple strikes. South Korea is taking the threats seriously, increasing surveillance and engaging in diplomacy efforts via China and Russia. Japan has already responded by deploying missile interceptors, and the region's US commander has said it is also capable of thwarting a launch, reports CBS. "I believe we have the ability to defend the homeland, Guam, Hawaii, and defend our allies," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Musudan missiles installed by Pyongyang are potentially within range of US military bases in Japan and Guam. But despite the very real probability that North Korea will launch a missile soon, everyday life goes on in Seoul, where citizens have long adjusted to its threats, reports Reuters. Likewise, signs of war are absent from the streets of Pyongyang, where soldiers continue to work on urban renewal projects and there hasn't been an air raid drill in months, the AP reports. (More North Korea stories.)

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