US warns North Korea ahead of expected missile launch

SEOUL/HAGATNA - Agence France-Presse

South Korean soldiers stand guard at an observation post near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas in Paju, north of Seoul April 11, 2013. South Korea said on Wednesday there was a "very high" probability that North Korea, after weeks of threats of war, would test-launch a medium-range missile at any time as a show of strength. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The United States has warned North Korea it is skating a "dangerous line" with an expected missile launch that could start a whole new cycle of escalating tensions in a region already on a hair-trigger.

South Korean and US forces remained on heightened alert Thursday with both experts and officials suggesting a launch was likely in the build-up to April 15 birthday celebrations for the North's late founder Kim Il-Sung.

It might also coincide with visits by US Secretary of State John Kerry and NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who will both be in Seoul on Friday.

"North Korea... with its bellicose rhetoric, its actions, has been skating very close to a dangerous line," US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.

"Our country is fully prepared to deal with any contingency, any action that North Korea may take or any provocation that they may instigate," Hagel added.

South Korean intelligence says the North has prepared two mid-range missiles for imminent launch from its east coast, despite warnings from ally China to avoid provocative moves at a time of soaring military tensions.

The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command has raised its "Watchcon" status from 3 to 2 to reflect indications of a "vital threat", while the South's national police force has also been placed on heightened terror alert.

Guam has raised its official threat level and on Thursday tested its emergency alert system after warnings from North Korea identifying the island as a potential missile target.

North Korea looks to outwit missile launch watchers: report

North Korea has been repeatedly moving multiple missiles around in an apparent bid to confuse outside intelligence gatherers ahead of an expected launch, Yonhap reported Thursday.

According to intelligence analysis cited by the South Korean news agency, two mid-range Musudan missiles have been repeatedly moved in and out of a warehouse facility on its east coast.

At the same time, at least five mobile launch vehicles have also been spotted swapping places and positions.

"There are signs the North could fire off Musudan missiles any time soon," an intelligence source told Yonhap.

"But the North has been repeatedly moving its missiles in and out of a shed, which needs close monitoring." Another source suggested Pyongyang was hoping to "fatigue" South Korean and US intelligence gatherers who have been on a heightened state of surveillance alert since Wednesday.

"But the North has been repeatedly moving its missiles in and out of a shed, which needs close monitoring." Another source suggested Pyongyang was hoping to "fatigue" South Korean and US intelligence gatherers who have been on a heightened state of surveillance alert since Wednesday.

The mid-range missiles mobilised by the North are reported to be untested Musudan models with an estimated range of anywhere up to 4,000 kilometres.