North indicates it’s ready for launch

In a sign that it was close to firing more missiles, North Korea warned Japan to stay off parts of the North’s eastern coastal waters for 16 days starting tomorrow so that it could conduct military exercises. The Japan Coast Guard said North Korea “clearly stated that the purpose of the warning would be a military exercise.”

According to the Japan Coast Guard, North Korea alerted Japan that its military exercises would take place off Wonsan on its east coast between June 25 and July 10, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Japanese ships have been warned not to travel in an area measuring 110 by 450 kilometers (68 by 279 miles) at its widest points on the east coast. The Japan Coast Guard said it also received two North Korean radio warnings this month about drills off North Korean coasts. Before its rocket launch on April 5, North Korea issued alerts through international organizations and designated dangerous areas with detailed coordinates.

The United States is also gearing up for what could be a North Korean missile launch around July 4, the Independence Day holiday for Americans. President Barack Obama said in an interview that the U.S. military was “fully prepared for any contingencies.” Obama also pledged that the United States would not “reward belligerence and provocation.”

Robert Gates, the U.S. secretary of defense, has also ordered deployment of U.S. missile defense in Hawaii in case of a possible missile test. And the U.S. Missile Defense Agency has recently announced a series of successful tests for its advanced missile defense system.

The Airborne Laser system successfully tracked a missile twice in early June. The Airborne Laser is a converted 747-400F jumbo jet with sophisticated technology to target and destroy ballistic missiles in the boost phase of flight, according to the agency, and it completed its first test flight in April.

The agency said a full test involving an actual intercept attempt is scheduled for later this year. “Especially with North Korea’s recent provocative behavior, ABL’s progress is more important than ever,” said U.S. Senator Sam Brownback after the most recent successful test on June 7.

By Yoo Jee-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]