Seoul Says N. Korea Has Deployed More Missiles

SEOUL — North Korea has deployed more missiles capable of reaching Japan, South Korea said Saturday, and has moved some heavy artillery closer to the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.

The statements from Seoul’s Defense Ministry came amid Chinese-led diplomatic efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to a crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

For decades, North Korea has deployed much of its conventional military force close to the border with the South, and it would be capable of inflicting devastation on Seoul in the early stages of any conflict.

However, the South Korean military did not alter its alert posture in response to the report on the North Korean artillery and missiles, indicating that a major escalation of tension was not imminent.

The South Korean Defense Ministry’s policy report did not say when the redeployment of artillery occurred or how many guns were shifted.

North Korea’s artillery and rocket launchers could quickly shower thousands of shells on Seoul, less than 40 miles south of the border.

South Korea also said the North in June last year deployed a “battalion” of Nodong missiles, which can hit targets as far away as 810 miles, including Japan. But it did not say how many missiles there were or where they were deployed.

It was unclear why South Korea was releasing what seemed to be old intelligence about the North Korean missiles at such a sensitive time on the Korean peninsula. On Thursday, the Koreas exchanged machine-gun fire in the demilitarized zone.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Friday in Vienna that North Korea was the biggest nuclear weapons threat, although he was encouraged by China’s attempts to reopen talks.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo met with U.S. officials in Washington after talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il last week.

North Korea has demanded one-on-one discussions with the United States because it says the nuclear issue is bilateral. The United States says the issue is regional and wants multilateral talks including both Koreas, Japan and China.