South Korea asks China about North Korean missile carrier
A South Korean official says Seoul is asking China whether it is the source of a missile carrier displayed by North Korea during a recent military parade.
Military experts have pointed to China as the probable supplier of the 16-wheel truck, but China has denied it. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban countries from supplying arms-related materials to North Korea.
North Korea used the vehicle to unveil a new long-range missile April 15.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said April 20 that Seoul was checking with China to see whether it was the provider.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.
China is North Korea’s closest ally, but has denied violating U.N. Security Council resolutions against Pyongyang in the past. AP
NATO to deploy more troops to Kosovo amid tensions
The German military says it will deploy a quick reaction force of several hundred troops to Kosovo to strengthen the NATO mission there amid heightened tensions ahead of next month’s election in neighboring Serbia.
Central command spokesman Hauke Bunks said Saturday about 550 German soldiers and some 130 Austrian troops will be deployed to the region by May 1.
Bunks says NATO seeks to strengthen its KFOR mission there “because of its evaluation of the current security situation in Kosovo.”
Serbia will hold parliamentary and local elections May 6 which could re-ignite tensions between minority ethnic Albanians and majority Serbs in northern Kosovo.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by many countries, including most EU nations and the United States. AP
