World Tribune.com



S. Korea reports missiles accounted for 7 percent of N. Korean exports

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, September 29, 1999

NICOSIA -- The South Korean Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that North Korea has sold military hardware, including Scud-B and Scud-C missiles, worth about $800 million, to countries in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia since 1991.

The report, submitted to the National Assembly for parliamentary inspection, showed North Korea exported weapons worth $50 million over the past three years, which accounted for about 7% of North Korea's export volume.

Turkey reported on Tuesday that it successfully tested a new rocket. Turkish government officials said they have accelerated efforts to develop rocket and missile technology. The Defence Research and Development Institute, set up as part of the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Institution (TUBITAK), which developed the rocket, said the rocket weighs 150 kilos and has a 60-km range.

On Oct. 2, the Pentagon plans to conduct the first-ever intercept test of the proposed National Missile Defense [NMD] system.

This is the first of three intercept attempts planned before a major program review in June 2000, which could lead to a presidential decision to begin deployment in 2001. Clinton will base his decision in part on the technical readiness of the technical readiness of the NMD system, defined by criteria issued by the Pentagon earlier this month.

At a London conference on ballistic missiles, sponsored by Jane's Defence Weekly, editor of the Jane's Sentinel, Ben Sheppard, advised Western countries to embark on a missile propaganda campaign.

"In an age where public support for military operations is ever more important, it is time for the west to draw up contingency plans on how to respond if faced with this political-psychological threat," he said on Monday. An information campaign "could make the difference to whether they could protect their allies and interests abroad or at the extreme be forced to capitulate," Sheppard said.

Wednesday, September 29, 1999


Contact World Tribune.com at world@worldtribune.com

Return toWorld Tribune.com front page
Your window on the world