Seoul: N. Korea launches 2 short-range missiles
— SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA South Korea’s military said North Korea conducted its second weapons test in less than a week Wednesday, firing two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast in a move observers said could be aimed at boosting pressure on the United States as the rivals struggle to set up fresh nuclear talks.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missiles were launched from Wonsan, a city the North pushes as a vacation destination but that it also uses as a regular launch site.
It said both missiles were believed to have flown about 155 miles at a maximum alti- tude of 19 miles, and that the South Korean and U.S. mili- taries were trying to gather more details.
The test, which would be yet another North Korean violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, comes as the country’s negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear weapons program are at a stalemate and as Pyongyang has expressed anger over planned U.S.-South Korean military drills.
“The North’s repeated missile launches are not help- ful to efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and we urge (North Korea) to stop this kind of behavior,” the South Korean state- ment said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the launches were “no threat to Japanese national security.”
Last Thurs d ay, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles that Seoul officials said flew 370 miles and as high as 30 miles before landing in the sea.
North Korea’s state media said those tests were super- vised by leader Kim Jong Un and were designed to deliver a “solemn warning” to South Korea over its purchase of high-tech U.S.-made fighter jets and the planned military drills, which Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal.
Even though North Korea is banned by the U.N. from using ballistic technology in any weapons launches, it’s unlikely that the nation, already under 11 rounds of U.N. sanctions, will be hit with more punitive measures. Past sanctions were i mposed only when t he North conducted long-range ballistic launches.
Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters Wednesday that the most recently launched weapons did not reach Japan’s exclu- sive economic zone and that officials were still analyzing details, including the flight distance and trajectory.
“It is extremely regrettable that North Korea continues firing the missiles that vio- late the U.N. resolutions,” Iwaya said.
Hua Chunying, a spokes- woman from the Chinese foreign ministry, said that China noted the launches and the responses of all sides, and that the “political settlement on the (Korean) Peninsula is currently in a critical stage.” China is North Korea’s most important economic and diplomatic ally.
“We hope that all parties concerned will cherish the hard-won alleviations and jointly make positive efforts to promote denuclearization and realize lasting peace on the peninsula and in the region,” Hua told reporters at a daily news briefing.
Observers say a low altitude flight by the missiles indicate North Korea may have been testing their ability to avoid being intercepted.
Earlier last week, Kim visited a newly built submarine and expressed his satisfaction with its weapons system. North Korea said its deployment was “near at hand.”
In a private briefing to lawmakers Wednesday, South Korean military intelligence officers said they’ve determined that the submarine likely has three launch tubes for missiles, according to Lee Hye-hoon, head of parliament’s intelligence committee.