N Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles off Coast

Local Editor

North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast, a defiant response to annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States but one which drew a swift protest from Japan.

The firing came hours before the US-South Korean military exercises were scheduled to begin, drills which the secretive North denounces as a preparation for war.

According to South Korea's defense ministry, the missiles hit the sea after traveling for about 490 km.

Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok declared North Korea fired the missiles without designating any no-sail zones, which was regarded as a provocation.

"If North Korea takes provocative actions, our military will react firmly and strongly so North Korea will regret it in its bones," Kim stated.

Furthermore, Pyongyang had escalated its rhetoric against the drills, with a spokesman for its army general staff saying Washington and Seoul "should be dealt with only by merciless strikes".

Though, Japan quickly lodged a protest with North Korea over the latest missile launches, saying they posed a serious threat to safety at sea and in the sky.

"The ballistic missile launches by North Korea are extremely problematic conduct in terms of aviation and navigation safety," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declared.

He added, "We swiftly lodged a stern protest with North Korea."

In July, Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea in return for the North reopening its investigation into the fate of Japanese abductees. Little progress had been made so far.

North Korea frequently tested short-range missiles off its coast as part of military drills.

The United Nations had imposed sanctions banning North Korea from using ballistic missile technologies.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team