SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawaii in early July, a Japanese news report said yesterday.

The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 6,500 km, would be launched from the DPRK's Dongchang-ni site on the northwestern coast, said the Yomiuri daily, Japan's top-selling newspaper. It cited an analysis by the Japanese Defense Ministry and intelligence gathered by US reconnaissance satellites.

The missile launch could come between July 4 and 8, the paper said.