N. Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles Twice Wed.

Seoul/Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from around Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon twice on Wednesday, in the morning and afternoon, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. According to the South Korean military and Japan’s Defense Ministry, North Korea fired several missiles around 8:50 a.m. These are estimated to have traveled about 240 kilometers. One missile was launched around 2:20 p.m., traveling over 700 km and reaching the maximum altitude of around 60 km. All missiles are believed to have fallen into waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. There have been no reports of damage to aircraft or ships. The afternoon missile may have traveled on an irregular trajectory, complicating interception efforts. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Wednesday that Japan has lodged a strong protest to North Korea through embassies in Beijing. “The string of actions by North Korea threaten the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community,” the top Japanese government spokesman said. North Korea launched a projectile toward the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula from around Pyongyang on Tuesday. But it disappeared soon after the launch, according to South Korean media. The firing is believed to have failed. With North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday quoting Vice Foreign Minister Jang Kum Chol as saying that South Korea remains “the most hostile enemy state” to North Korea, the projectile launches were apparently aimed at demonstrating Pyongyang’s confrontational stance toward Seoul. The national security office of South Korea’s Blue House held an emergency security meeting Wednesday, calling the launches a provocation that violates relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and urging North Korea to stop such actions. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]