TOKYO (Sputnik) – Korea JoongAng Daily reported citing South Korean military sources that the North possesses hundreds of Scud extended-range missiles (Scud-ER) that had been modified to cover the range of some 620 miles, long enough to reach the US military facilities in Japan, including the base in Yokosuka.
North Korea could use the Scud-ERs to prevent the deployment of the US forces stationed at the Japanese islands to South Korea in case of the conflict at the Korean peninsula, according to the newspaper.
Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7. The moves violated UN Security Council resolutions, prompting the United Nations to impose sanctions.
