Seoul: North Korea fires 5 short-range projectiles
Published 8:12 am Monday, March 21, 2016
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired five short-range projectiles into the sea on Monday, Seoul officials said, in a continuation of weapon launches it has carried out in an apparent response to ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drills it sees as a provocation.
The projectiles launched from a site near the northeastern city of Hamhung flew about 200 kilometers (125 miles) before landing in waters off North Korea’s east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The firings came three days after Seoul said North Korea launched its first medium-range missile into the sea since early 2014, ignoring U.N. resolutions against such tests.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency initially reported that a missile had also been launched on Monday, but later changed that to say projectiles had been fired.
The firings appear to be North Korea’s response to annual springtime U.S.-South Korean military exercises that it says are a rehearsal for an invasion. Earlier this month, North Korea fired several short-range missiles and artillery shells into the sea and threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes against Washington and Seoul.