(For related story, please click on [ID:nSEO362880]) By Jon Herskovitz SEOUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it is preparing to launch a satellite on one of its rockets, which analysts have said could actually be a test-launch of its longest-range missile, the Taepodong-2. Here are questions and answers as to why North Korea might test-launch a Taepodong-2 or its other missiles: WHY WOULD THE NORTH SAY IT'S LAUNCHING A SATELLITE? North Korea has been hit with U.N. sanctions for previous ballistic missile tests and is banned from conducting further tests. It argues that the missiles are at the centre of its peaceful space programme and it has the right to use rockets to put satellites into orbit. North Korea stunned the region when it fired a Taepodong-1 over Japan in 1998, saying it had launched a satellite. WHAT COULD NORTH GAIN BY TESTING ITS LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE? If the launch is successful, North Korea will have a missile with a maximum estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to eventually carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, although not the contiguous 48 states. This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat by the North to the United States. The North, which already has hundreds of rudimentary missiles, would be able to test its multi-stage rocket systems and increase its ability to produce long-range missiles. HOW BIG A THREAT IS THE TAEPODONG-2? The only time North Korea fired the missile was in 2006 when it managed just a few seconds of controlled flight and broke apart in less than a minute. It has a crude multi-stage design and poor guidance system and takes weeks to prepare for launch. U.S. spy satellites can monitor the preparations and it should be relatively easy to destroy long before launch. Experts have said North Korea does not yet have the technology to miniaturise a nuclear device to use as a warhead. But the North has been working on placing biological and chemical weapons on missiles. WHY WOULD IT TEST A SHORT-RANGE MISSILE? North Korean short-range missiles, thought to number in the hundreds and with ranges of about 100-150 km (60-95 miles), can hit all of the Seoul area and many U.S. military bases in South Korea. They have been successfully tested. North Korea times its short-range missile launches for periods of increased tension to send political messages. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a trip to Asia last week, warned North Korea against any provocative moves. The North is also trying to put pressure on South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office a year ago and has angered his destitute neighbour by cutting off what once had been a free flow of unconditional aid. WHAT ABOUT ITS MID-RANGE MISSILES? North Korea has several hundred Rodong missiles, with ranges that can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan. On Monday, South Korea's Defence Ministry said the North had deployed a new missile with a range of 3,000 km. This missile could hit all of Japan and threaten U.S. military bases in Guam if its payload was reduced. Launching one of these missiles would be seen as a defiant move that posed a greater threat to regional security. WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA RISK BY TEST-FIRING THE MISSILES? Another failed Taepodong-2 launch would be an embarrassment for Pyongyang which has little beyond its military threat to win concessions from the outside world. That, and the high cost for the impoverished state, may make it reluctant to risk a second launch. Its leaders may be happy to imply a threat by moving around missile-related equipment, knowing it will be seen by U.S. intelligence and raise alarm within the new U.S. government. On the other hand, the international community has few options left to punish the North for a launch of any of its ballistic missiles. North Korea is already subject to U.N. sanctions stemming from its July 2006 ballistic missile test that included Rodong missiles and the Taepodong-2 and a nuclear test a few months after that. The United States has already called for a suspension of aid promised under a six-way nuclear deal while Japan and South Korea have blocked channels that sent cash and food. WHEN MIGHT A LAUNCH TAKE PLACE? A short-range missile launch could happen at any time. The North may time a Taepodong-2 or Rodong launch to coincide with a meeting on March 8 of its Supreme People's Assembly. Its state media has been heralding the event and the role leader Kim Jong-il will play. Kim suffered a suspected stroke in August that raised questions about his grip on power. Another possible date is April 25, the anniversary of its Korea People's Army. (Editing by Dean Yates)
A relative (C) mourns a mine blast victim at the entrance of a coal mine in Gujiao, Shanxi Province February 23, 2009. An explosion in a mine belonging to China's biggest ...
