North Korea has completed a launch tower at its new missile base, a key step in efforts to test a missile which could eventually reach the United States. An image taken on January 10 of the Tongchang-ri base on the west coast shows a moveable launch pad and swing arms along with the tower. The new base is seen as a key step in the North's quest for an intercontinental ballistic missile that could possibly strike the United States. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned last month that North Korea could have missiles within five years that would directly threaten the United States.