NK Fired Russian Missile: Official

Korea Times | May 4 2005

SEOUL (Yonhap) - The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the missile North Korea fired into East Sea is an upgraded version of Russia's SS21, marking the first official confirmation of North Korea's missile launch.

"North Korea fired a missile into the East Sea whose range is presumed to be from 100 to 120 kilometers, and is called by the North the KN-02, an upgraded version of the Russian SS21, Kim Sung-il, a senior official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a closed-door session, according to lawmakers who attended it.

He said the missile launch is presumed to be for improving the performance of North Korea's surface-to-surface missiles and not for attacking another country or for mounting nuclear or chemical warheads on the missile.

The KN-02 is known to be a portable surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile, and its range is farther and accuracy greater than the SS21.

The missile, if fired from near the inter-Korean border, could strike the city of Pyongtaek.