North Korea could launch another ballistic missile before year end: NIS

국정원 "北, 연내 탄도미사일 발사 가능성 주시 중" South Korea's intelligence agency suspects North Korea is trying to upgrade its weapons capabilities to gain some extra leverage against the United States. Officials also say Pyongyang seems to have recently conducted a missile engine test ahead of a potential launch in the coming weeks. Kim Hyun-bin reports. South Korea's intelligence agency says that there is a possibility that North Korea could launch another ballistic missile before the end of the year. During a briefing to the National Assembly's intelligence committee, the National Intelligence Agency said on Monday that suspicious movements have been detected at North Korea's missile test site and added that the regime seems to have conducted an engine test for ballistic missiles. The spy agency and military experts say that North Korea is trying to enhance its ballistic missile capabilities. (Korean) "Kim Jong-un ordered during his new year's address the completion of the regime's nuclear arsenal. That is why the North has conducted its sixth nuclear test and kept developing its ICBM capabilities." North Korea claims that the rockets are meant to send a satellite into orbit while Seoul and Washington say the regime's main purpose is to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. Seoul's spy agency also said during the briefing that the North has inspected its military's General Political Bureau for the first time in two decades punishing Bureau's chief Hwang Pyong-so and deputy chief Kim Won-hong along with other military officers. The inspection was led by the vice chairman of the North's ruling Worker's Party Choe Ryong-hae. The bureau is one of the most influential military institutions in charge of key personnel management of military branches. Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News. Arirang News Facebook:   / arirangtvnews   ------------------------------------------------------------ [Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube] ARIRANG TV:    / arirang   ARIRANG RADIO:    / music180arirang   ARIRANG NEWS:    / arirangnews   ARIRANG K-POP:    / arirangworld   ARIRANG ISSUE:    / arirangtoday   ARIRANG CULTURE:    / arirangkorean   ------------------------------------------------------------ [Visit Arirang TV Official Pages] Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com ------------------------------------------------------------ [Arirang K-Pop] YouTube:    / arirangworld   Facebook:   / arirangkpop   Google+: http://plus.google.com/+arirangworld