N. KOREA CARRIES OUT “IMPORTANT” TEST

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea announced that a very important test was carried out at a launch site on the west coast Saturday afternoon. The regime claimed that the test would change the country's strategic position, suggesting that solid fuel engines for intercontinental ballistic missiles may have been tested.

[Pkg]

Pyongyang claims a very important test was carried out at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on Saturday. The news was unveiled by a spokesman from the Academy of National Defense Science yesterday, one day after the actual test. North Korea pointed out the test had great significance and it will again change the regime's strategic position in the near future. The research institute also mentioned that it reported the successful result to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party. But there were no specifics on what kind of test it was. The announcement was short, comprised of only three sentences. But the term "important test" was heavily emphasized. What's most noteworthy are the institution that made the announcement and the wording "change in strategic position." The Academy of National Defense Science is an agency that develops the North's intercontinental ballistic missiles and other new weapons. Given that both the satellite launching ground and a rocket engine test facility are located in dongchang-ri, it is likely the scientists tested solid fuel engines for ICBMs. Developing solid fuel propellant is vital to ICBM technology as it enables improved range and requires shorter preparation time than liquid fuel.

[Soundbite] PROF. KIM DONG-YEOP(KYUNGNAM UNIV.) : "North Korea must have developed ICBMs powered by solid fuel and tested the main first-stage engines for them."

Recent satellite images have shown unusual movements of vehicles and equipment as well as the presence of large containers at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground. Subsequently, the U.S. military deployed recon planes over the Korean Peninsula to monitor these activities. Seoul's military is closely coordinating with American authorities to keep a close eye on what's going on in the communist state.