Q+A: Why would North Korea test-fire its missiles?

By Jon Herskovitz

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it is preparing to launch a satellite on one of its rockets, which analysts have said could actually be a test-launch of its longest-range missile, the Taepodong-2.

Here are questions and answers as to why North Korea might test-launch a Taepodong-2 or its other missiles:

WHY WOULD THE NORTH SAY IT'S LAUNCHING A SATELLITE?

North Korea has been hit with U.N. sanctions for previous ballistic missile tests and is banned from conducting further tests. It argues that the missiles are at the center of its peaceful space program and it has the right to use rockets to put satellites into orbit.

North Korea stunned the region when it fired a Taepodong-1 over Japan in 1998, saying it had launched a satellite.

WHAT COULD NORTH GAIN BY TESTING ITS LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE?

If the launch is successful, North Korea will have a missile with a maximum estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to eventually carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, although not the contiguous 48 states. This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat by the North to the United States.

The North, which already has hundreds of rudimentary missiles, would be able to test its multi-stage rocket systems and increase its ability to produce long-range missiles.