World

North Korea's Newest Missile

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

August 31, 1998 / 7:32 PM EDT / CBS

North Korea is barely able to feed its people, but its military continues to turn out missiles with longer and longer ranges. The newest one just soared more than 900 miles, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.

The test was monitored by an American ship, which tracked the missile as it jettisoned its first stage and then flew over Japan. U.S. intelligence officials are saying the launch was a successful test of a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

It was only the first test, but former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who headed a panel which investigated the danger of rogue nations like North Korea acquiring long range missiles, says one test may be all they need.

"They don't need the safety in their missiles, they don't need the reliability...they don't really need the accuracy, so they can take an awful lot of shortcuts," said Rumsfeld.

They don't need the accuracy particularly if the missile is armed with a nuclear warhead. North Korea is already believed to have enough weapons grade material for one or two warheads and is hard at work on a vast underground complex which U.S. intelligence believes is intended to produce more weapons grade material.

Also of concern is the fact that North Korea is doing more than just developing a long-range missile capable of delivering nuclear weapons. It is also trying to sell it.

North Korea sent out invitations to Iran and a number of other Middle Eastern countries to observe the test of their latest missile.