North Korea has sent a couple more short-range missiles into waters off its coast, the second apparent show of aggression and might to oppose joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises.
Last Thursday, South Korean authorities reported its northern neighbor fired four short-range Scud missiles into the water. On Monday, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said that the North fired two missiles that went about 310 miles before hitting the ocean waters, The Associated Press reported.
They flew right past one of South Korea’s air defense identification zones and hit in the ocean by the Japanese defense zone, AP reported.
South Korean military experts were still trying to guess what type of missiles were shot, based on the speed and trajectory. Initial findings were that they were in the Scud family, said one official with the Defense Ministry, AP reported.
Chang Yong Seok with the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at the Seoul National University said the missile launches seem to be part of North Korea’s military training, but also serve as a subtle warning to the United States and South Korea. He didn’t think tensions would escalate — unless North Korea started test firing longer-range missiles, he said, AP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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