‘NK prepares to fuel rocket’

North Korea was making preparations to begin fueling a long-range rocket Friday, ahead of a launch planned for as early as Monday, reports said.

Regional players began bracing for the move, with Washington deploying two destroyers to the area to monitor the launch and Tokyo issuing an order to shoot down the rocket if it threatens its territory.

Reports citing officials said Pyongyang was filling up a fuel tank at the northwestern
Sohae Satellite Launching Station, military officials were quoted as saying, citing satellite imagery that showed increased activity near the tank.

“As soon as (the North) completes injecting fuel into the storage, it is expected to supply the rocket with fuel,” Yonhap News Agency quoted a source as saying. “Fuel injection could begin Saturday.”

Officials here believe the rocket has been erect since mid-week, but independent analysts raised the possibility that progression may be slower due to snowfall. The tank sits some 80 meters from the launch pad.

The North has said it will launch the rocket between Dec.10 and 22, claiming it is for scientific purposes. But Seoul and Washington say the move intends to advance the North’s nuclear weapons program.

While Japanese reports have suggested the launch could take place on Dec. 17, the first anniversary of the death of late leader Kim Jong-il, experts say scheduling will have to factor in weather conditions, which are harsh at this time of the year in the northern region.

Admiral Samuel Locklear, head of U.S. Pacific Command said the deployment of the USS Benfold and the USS Fitzgerald would help reassure allies in the region and track the launch.

Tokyo, meanwhile, positioned surface-to-air missiles in and around Tokyo and Okinawa and deployed Aegis warships in surrounding waters. Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto has ordered that the rocket be shot down if it shows any signs of breaching Japan’s territorial sovereignty.

It is the second time this year for the Kim Jong-un regime to put the region on edge with an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The previous launch on April 13 was condemned by the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) in a presidential statement.

During the previous launch in April, the 90-ton rocket appeared to have exploded shortly after liftoff, crashing into waters off the western South Korean coast. The Unha-3 rocket is a three-stage vehicle some 30 meters long.

Seoul and others in the international community are looking for ways to both discourage the North from the launch, which would be seen as testing of ballistic missile technology and a breach of U.N. sanctions, and for measures to punish Pyongyang for the act.

Officials say the possibility of tightening sanctions on the North, in line the UNSC presidential statement, has been discussed among regional players. <The Korea Times/Kim Young-jin>