N. Korea fires 7 missiles into Sea of Japan: S. Korea
Jul. 6, 2009
North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles, all believed to be short- or intermediate-range types, toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday from its southeastern region, South Korean military officials said.
Pyongyang's actions are seen to be a clear expression of its stern posture against the United States, Japan, South Korea and other members of the international community that have stepped up pressure on the country through U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions in response to its recent nuclear test and rocket launches.
The Japanese and South Korean governments separately condemned the missile launches as provocative actions that are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
In Washington, a State Department official said the United States will urge China and other key players to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed against North Korea in response to its underground nuclear test in May.
''North Korean missile launches highlight the importance of fully implementing the provisions of the U.N. resolutions,'' the spokesman said.
''This type of North Korean behavior is not helpful,'' the spokesman said. ''What North Korea needs to do is to fulfill its international obligations and commitments.''
Meanwhile, Russia and China called for a restrained response to North Korea's missile launches, saying a return to the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program is the ''only effective'' solution to defuse the tension in the region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two countries reached the agreement during talks between senior foreign ministry officials of the two countries in Moscow.
The South Korean military said the North Korean missiles fired Saturday flew about 400 to 500 kilometers before falling into the Sea of Japan.
The missiles fired were believed to be either short-range Scuds, which a range of 300 to 500 km, or the intermediate-range Rodong, which can reach targets 1,300 km away.
South Korean television network MBC said South Korean military officials have determined the last two missiles fired were Rodong, based on their flight trajectory.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said South Korean intelligence officials suspect one to three missiles fired were Rodong.
Japanese and South Korean government sources believe that North Korea could have cut short the flight of Rodong missiles in Saturday's firings.
North Korea fired the seven missiles between 8 a.m. and 5:40 p.m., according to the South Korean military.
Speculation had been rife that the North might launch missiles on the occasion of Independence Day in the United States on Saturday.
The ballistic missile launches came after Pyongyang fired four surface-to-ship missiles off its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan last Thursday.
North Korea is believed to have an arsenal of 600 Soviet-era short-range Scud-B and Scud-C missiles, deployed since the 1980s.
The Scud-C, with a range of 500 km, is an updated version of the Soviet-made Scud-B missiles, which have a range of 300 km. Both types of missiles are launched from vehicles.
The intermediate-range Rodong missiles, which can reach most areas of the Japanese archipelago, were developed in the 1990s.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on July 5, 2009)
Pyongyang's actions are seen to be a clear expression of its stern posture against the United States, Japan, South Korea and other members of the international community that have stepped up pressure on the country through U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions in response to its recent nuclear test and rocket launches.
The Japanese and South Korean governments separately condemned the missile launches as provocative actions that are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
In Washington, a State Department official said the United States will urge China and other key players to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed against North Korea in response to its underground nuclear test in May.
''North Korean missile launches highlight the importance of fully implementing the provisions of the U.N. resolutions,'' the spokesman said.
''This type of North Korean behavior is not helpful,'' the spokesman said. ''What North Korea needs to do is to fulfill its international obligations and commitments.''
Meanwhile, Russia and China called for a restrained response to North Korea's missile launches, saying a return to the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program is the ''only effective'' solution to defuse the tension in the region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two countries reached the agreement during talks between senior foreign ministry officials of the two countries in Moscow.
The South Korean military said the North Korean missiles fired Saturday flew about 400 to 500 kilometers before falling into the Sea of Japan.
The missiles fired were believed to be either short-range Scuds, which a range of 300 to 500 km, or the intermediate-range Rodong, which can reach targets 1,300 km away.
South Korean television network MBC said South Korean military officials have determined the last two missiles fired were Rodong, based on their flight trajectory.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said South Korean intelligence officials suspect one to three missiles fired were Rodong.
Japanese and South Korean government sources believe that North Korea could have cut short the flight of Rodong missiles in Saturday's firings.
North Korea fired the seven missiles between 8 a.m. and 5:40 p.m., according to the South Korean military.
Speculation had been rife that the North might launch missiles on the occasion of Independence Day in the United States on Saturday.
The ballistic missile launches came after Pyongyang fired four surface-to-ship missiles off its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan last Thursday.
North Korea is believed to have an arsenal of 600 Soviet-era short-range Scud-B and Scud-C missiles, deployed since the 1980s.
The Scud-C, with a range of 500 km, is an updated version of the Soviet-made Scud-B missiles, which have a range of 300 km. Both types of missiles are launched from vehicles.
The intermediate-range Rodong missiles, which can reach most areas of the Japanese archipelago, were developed in the 1990s.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on July 5, 2009)
