North Korea Fires Three Short-range Missiles

(RTTNews) - In its continued defiance of international calls and concern over its nuclear muscle-flexing, North Korea test-fired three short-range missiles off its east coast Thursday, reported South Korea's state media, quoting defense ministry sources.

Although the missile tests were thought to be a part of routine maneuvers by the North Korean military, they aggravate tensions on the Korean peninsula, following Pyongyang's recent nuclear tests and U.N. punitive sanctions.

The ground-to-ship missiles were fired from a base in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan in the afternoon, local time, South Korea's state-owned Yonhap News Agency said. The first missile was launched at 5:20 p.m., the second one at 6:00 p.m., and the third two and a half hours later over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

South Korean public broadcaster KBS reported that all the missiles, having a range between 120 to 160 kilometers, fell into the sea about 100 kilometers from the coast.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan reportedly said that Seoul was anticipating such a move for quite some time.

The incident coincides with the visit of Philip Goldberg, the U.S. official in charge of co-ordinating the implementation of U.N. sanctions against the North, to China, its long-time ally.

He is scheduled to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing and seek their support to enforce the sanctions, the U.S. Embassy said.

There were reports that the North could fire a barrage of missiles in the coming days, including some ballistic Scud or Rodong rockets that the North is banned from testing under U.N. resolutions.

Earlier, the Japanese Coast Guard said that the North Korean government had informed it of fresh navigation bans for 10 coastal areas along the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, citing "military gunfire and bombardment-training."

It covers seven sites located off the Sea of Japan coast and three sites in waters off the Yellow Sea.

The e-mailed message was indicative of more possible short-range missile tests at a time when the reclusive Communist state is also thought to be preparing a long-range missile launch into Pacific waters short of Hawaii.

The alert covers the hours 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Wednesday until July 11, extending by one day the period in a previous warning.

Pyongyang test-fired a long-range missile over Japan April 5, and conducted its second nuclear test, besides launching several short-range missiles beginning May 25, after issuing a similar navigation ban.

They evoked international protests and the tightening of U.N. sanctions on North Korea.

Tuesday, Washington blacklisted two companies allegedly involved in nuclear weapon and missiles-making activities by Pyongyang.

On the same day, South Korea's defense minister alerted the country's parliament of a possible North Korean uranium- enrichment program, aimed at producing fuel for nuclear weapons.

Addressing a National Assembly hearing, Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said it was clear that North Korea was pursuing the program, which was far easier to hide than its current plutonium-based program.

Following fresh UN sanctions on North Korea for carrying out its second nuclear test defying international warnings, Pyongyang said earlier this month it would start enriching uranium, which could be used to produce atomic weapons.

Meanwhile, a North Korean ship, suspected of smuggling missiles or related parts, is reported to have turned around and is believed to be heading back to its port of origin after being continuously tracked by U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS John S. McCain.

It was the first North Korean vessel monitored under the new U.N. sanctions that seek to clamp down on Pyongyang's trading of banned arms and weapons-related material. It empowered U.N. member-states to seek inspection of ships suspected of carrying prohibited cargo.

The North reacted to it by saying that it would consider the interception of its ships as a declaration of war.

In one more incident that reflected the North's continuing hostility with the international community, the latest round of talks between the two Koreas to resolve a dispute over a joint industrial park and the fate of a detained South Korean worker ended without yielding any results Thursday.

South Korean Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo told reporters that "the two sides could not narrow differences in their positions."

The third round of talks, held at the Kaesong joint industrial estate just north of the border, were over in 70 minutes, Yonhap reported.

The meeting also did not set up a date for the next round of talks, it added.

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