Angry North Korea launches two ballistic missiles into sea
North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea yesterday, South Korea said, the latest in a series of test-firings seen as expressions of anger over the Pyongyang's failure to win talks on outside aid.
North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea yesterday, South Korea said, the latest in a series of test-firings seen as expressions of anger over the Pyongyang's failure to win talks on outside aid, and over US-Seoul military drills.
The missiles, believed to be Scud variations, were fired from Kaesong near the border with the South and had a range of about 500km, a South Korean military official said.
North Korea watchers said it was highly unusual for Pyongyang to fire missiles from a city just 20km from the heavily fortified border. The North usually test-fires missiles launched from its eastern port city of Wonsan, about 130km from the border.
North Korea regularly conducts test-firings, but this year has seen an unusually large number of launches. South Korean officials have confirmed about 90 test-firings of missiles, artillery and rockets by the North since mid-February. At least 10 of them have been ballistic launches.
North Korea recently has pushed South Korea to accept a set of proposals that it said would reduce bilateral tensions, including the cancellation of regular military drills between Seoul and Washington that Pyongyang has long insisted were preparation for invasion.
