North Korea test-fires more missiles

By joshuah at 4 July, 2009, 6:10 am

North Korea fired several short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, an act that the U.S. watched closely and South Korea called provocative.

Pyongyang fired six short-range missiles in less than seven hours, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.

The missiles were apparently Scud-type, estimated to have a range of about 500 kilometers (310 miles), according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

South Korean intelligence estimates that North Korea has about 700 such missiles in its arsenal.

Pyongyang test-fired four such missiles off the east coast Thursday, Yonhap reported.

South Korea called the launches a provocative act, according to a government statement.

North Korea had issued a warning to mariners to avoid an area in the Sea of Japan at certain times between June 24 and July 9 because of a "military firing exercise," according to a U.S. military communication about the warning provided to CNN.

The recent firings come amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea conducted a nuclear test in May, fired test rockets and threatened U.S. and South Korean ships near its territorial waters.

Source/Full Story: CNN.com

Categories : North Korea | Wars and Rumors of Wars


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