N. Korea Flexes Military Muscle

North Korea`s latest missile launch is seen as aimed at demonstrating its capabilities to deter the threat of a possible U.S. strike rather than raising military tension on the peninsula, experts in Seoul said yesterday.

Analysts and government officials remain divided, however, over whether it is merely part of the communist country`s annual military drills, or it is saber rattling at Washington, with which it is currently locked in a nuclear standoff.

Military authorities in South Korea and Japan confirmed Wednesday that Pyongyang launched a surface-to-vessel missile Monday from its military base in the northeastern coastal province of South Hamgyeong into the East Sea.

"North Korea is trying to show its self-defense capabilities by firing the missile, as it is now in quasi-war state because of its nuclear tension with the United States," said Prof. Koh Yu-hwan of Dongguk University.

Koh noted the North`s recent military move should not be misinterpreted as a "serious military provocation" in that the Pyongyang government gave Japan prior notice of the test-fire to contain such estimations.

"I think it is part of Pyongyang`s winter-time military drill," he said.

The Defense Ministry said North Korea has test-fired surface-to-vessel missiles or naval guns during military exercises around this time of year before.

But some experts said that the North`s short-range missile launch was a calculated move, whether it is to alert the United States or South Korea, and that it is related to the violation by a North Korean Mig-19 fighter jet of the South`s airspace last Thursday.

"The missile launch is in line with the North`s recent militaristic demonstrations," said Suh Choo-suk, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

Suh said North Korea test-fired the missile to show that it has militaristic means to counter U.S. maritime pressure as its relations with Washington has been deteriorating over the nuclear issue.

Suh said the missile test-fire has no bearing on the inauguration of Roh Moo-hyun as president Tuesday.

Prof. Kim Young-soo of Sogang University said North Korea`s missile launch, which came just hours before the presidential inauguration, is to remind the new South Korean government of its existence.

"North Korea may want to say that the new government should step up inter-Korean cooperation to uphold peace and stability on the peninsula, by showing that the North`s threat still exists," Kim said.