North Korean Missile Launch May

Movement of rocket parts may have been to intentionally mislead U.S. intelligence

Evidence has arisen regarding the December 12 North Korean missile test launch that is causing concern with United States and South Korean officials. The launch came as a surprise to both the U. S. and Asian allied nations, in spite of extensive intelligence-gathering operations centered around North Korea. U. S. officials are now investigating the likelihood that North Korea intentionally deceived the U. S. and its allies. It is commonly known that North Korea, among several other nations, keeps track of when United States satellites are passing overhead. These satellites captured images of North Korean workers moving parts of a rocket and replacing those parts with newer pieces. With this information, the allied nations believed the missile to be undergoing maintenance, leading to the surprise felt in the successful launch of the rocket. U. S. officials are currently investigating whether or not the movement of rocket parts was used to mislead the observing allied nations, in order to launch the rocket when satellites were not overhead. There is currently speculation as to whether or not the missile parts were from an older model in storage or not. If the parts are from an older model, it is unlikely that they were used in the December 12 launch in any capacity. The missile in question is of a type with the ability to strike over 6,000 miles away, meaning that such a missile could strike the U. S. United States officials have stated that it is extremely unlikely that North Korea could attain a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on such a rocket, and that U. S. missile defense systems are more than adequate to counter such a launch if need be. It is important to note that even in light of this information and due to the unclear nature of the images gathered from U. S. satellites regarding the rocket, it is possible that no deception was intended and that the rocket was never disassembled at all.