SKorea says NKorea fires 4 missiles off east coast
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired four missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, in what was likely to be seen as a message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day holiday.
The launches, which came two days after North Korea fired four short-range missiles, could further escalate tensions in the region as the U.S. tries to muster support for tough enforcement of the U.N. resolution imposed on the communist regime for its May nuclear test.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said three missiles were fired early Saturday and the fourth at about noon but declined to elaborate on the type.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted military officials as saying the missiles appeared to be a type of Scud missile. North Korea’s Scuds are considered short-range, South Korea’s military said.
North Korea is not allowed to fire Scuds, medium-range missiles or long-range missiles under the resolution banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.
A senior presidential official told The Associated Press the missiles fired are believed to have a range of less than 300 miles (500 kilometers).
“Our military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations based on strong South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff statement said.
North Korea’s state news agency carried no reports on the launches.
The chief of U.S. Naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, said the American military was ready for any North Korean missile tests.
“Our ships and forces here are prepared for the tracking of the missiles and observing the activities that are going on,” Roughead said after meeting Japanese military officials in Tokyo on Saturday.
Speculation had been high that the communist country might launch more missiles. North Korea had warned shipping to stay away from its east coast effective through July 10.
The senior presidential official cautioned that North Korea could fire more missiles in coming days, but said there was little possibility it could fire the intercontinental ballistic missile it threatened in April.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
Saturday’s launches came on July 4, or U.S. Independence Day. The North has a record of timing missile tests for the U.S. national day.
“The missiles were seen as part of military exercises, but North Korea also appeared to have sent a message to the U.S. through the missile launches,” the presidential official said, without elaborating.
Associated Press writers Yuri Kageyama and Tomoko A. Hosaka in Tokyo, Henry Sanderson in Beijing, and Jae-soon Chang in Seoul contributed to this report.
Related News
Report: North Korea fires 2 mid-range missilesJuly 4th, 2009 Report: NKorea fires 2 mid-range missilesSEOUL, South Korea — A news report says North Korea has fired two mid-range missiles off it eastern coast. Yonhap news agency's report says the launches Saturday appeared to be of Scud missiles.
SKorea says North Korea fires 3 missiles off eastern coast; report says short-range launchedJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says NKorea fires 3 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired three missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, in what was likely to be seen as a message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day holiday. The launches, which came two days after North Korea fired four short-range missiles, could further escalate tensions in the region as the U.S.
SKorea says North has fired 7 missiles off eastern coast; report says they are Scud-typeJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says NKorea fires 7 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says North Korea has fired a seventh missile off its eastern coast. The Joint Chiefs of Staff say six missiles were fired earlier Saturday and the seventh around 5:40 p.m.
North Korea fires three more missiles: Report (Second Lead)July 4th, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea fired three more missiles off its east coast, a day after it fired four short-range missiles, according to South Korean media reports early Saturday. The missiles were apparently Scud rockets with a reach of 500 kilometres, the national news agency Yonhap reported, quoting government sources.
SKorea says North has fired 6 missiles off eastern coast; report says they are Scud-typeJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says NKorea fires 6 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says North Korea has fired a sixth missile off its eastern coast. The Joint Chiefs of Staff say five missiles were fired earlier Saturday and the sixth around 4:10 p.m.
SKorea says North Korea fires 6 missiles off eastern coast; report says they are Scud-typeJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says North fires 6 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired six ballistic missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, a violation of U.N. resolutions and an apparent message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day.
North Korea fires two more missiles: ReportJuly 4th, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea fired two more missiles off its east coast, according to South Korean media reports early Saturday.
The missiles were apparently Scud rockets with a reach of 500 km, the national news agency Yonhap reported, quoting government
SKorea says North Korea fires 5 missiles off eastern coast; report says they are Scud-typeJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says NKorea fires 5 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says North Korea has fired a fifth missile off its eastern coast. The Joint Chiefs of Staff says three missiles were fired early Saturday, the fourth at about noon and the fifth at 2:50 p.m.
SKorea says North Korea has fired 5 missiles off eastern coast; report says they are Scud-typeJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says North fires 5 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired five ballistic missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, a violation of U.N. resolutions and an apparent message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day.
SKorea says North Korea fires 2 missiles off eastern coast; report says short-range launchedJuly 4th, 2009 SKorea says NKorea fires 2 missiles off east coastSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired two missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, in yet another provocative move after the U.N. imposed sanctions on the communist regime for its May nuclear test.
N. Korea test fires two short-range missilesJuly 2nd, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea has test-fired two short-range missiles from its eastern coast, the Yonhap news agency reported Thursday. "One was fired at 5:20 p.m.
North Korea fires two missiles, claims South KoreaJuly 2nd, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea Thursday fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles off its east coast, a South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman said. North Korea had last fired a series of short-range missiles in the week after its May 25 nuclear test.
Reports: NKorea test-fires 2 short-range missilesJuly 2nd, 2009 Reports: NKorea test-fires 2 short-range missilesSEOUL, South Korea — South Korean media report that North Korea has test-fired two short-range missiles. Yonhap news agency reported Thursday the North fired two ground-to-ship missiles from its eastern coast.
North Korea fires two more missilesMay 26th, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea fired two more missiles off its east coast, a day after it fired four short-range missiles, according to South Korean media reports early Saturday. The missiles were apparently Scud rockets with a reach of 500 km, the national news agency Yonhap reported, quoting government sources.
North Korea test-fires two more missiles: ReportMay 25th, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea test fired two more missiles off its east coast Monday amid heightened tension over its second nuclear test, a media report said. The launch of the two more short-range missiles came after the country fired a short-range missile off its east coast base around noon, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting an anonymous source.
Loading ...