SEOUL, January 21 (Itar-Tass) — North Korea has independently built most key parts of its long-range rocket with the exception of some parts existing on foreign markets, local experts report on Monday after analyzing the debris of the rocket launched by Pyongyang on December 12. The debris was imported from overseas.
Having studied fragments of the rocket the South Korean specialists came to the conclusion that in fact North Korea had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of flying as far as 10,000 kilometers.
“Although North Korea was restricted from securing advanced technologies and materials due to the international sanction, it has honed its long-range ballistic missile technology through several tests and experiences,” Yonhap quoted an intelligence official at Seoul’s Defense Ministry as saying on condition of anonymity.
Specialists also established that North Korea had used four Nodong missile engines and four vernier engines for the first stage booster to produce 120-ton thrust. They said up to ten components had been imported from China and European countries. They said there were no imported goods that violate the MPCR (the Missile Technology Control Regime), shared by 34 countries.
The official Seoul intends to submit the report to the United Nations through diplomatic channels, South Korean Defense Ministry sources said.