NORTH Korea fired seven ballistic missiles off its eastern coast yesterday, South Korea said, a violation of UN resolutions and an apparent message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day.
The launches, which came two days after North Korea fired four short-range cruise missiles, will further escalate tensions in the region as the US tries to muster support for tough enforcement of the latest United Nations Security Council resolu
tion imposed on the communist regime for a nuclear test in May. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said three missiles were fired early yesterday, a fourth around noon and three more in the afternoon.
The defence ministry said the missiles were ballistic and they are believed to have flown more than 250 miles.
"Our military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations based on strong South Korea-US combined defence posture," the joint chiefs of staff said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted military officials as saying they appeared to be a type of scud missile. North Korea's scuds are considered short-range, the South's military said.
But Yonhap also said they might have been longer-range Rodong missiles fired a shorter distance. Scud missiles have a range of up to 300 miles, which could hit most of South Korea. The Rodong has a range of up to 800 miles, putting most parts of Japan within striking distance.
North Korea is not allowed to fire Scuds, medium-range missiles or long-range missiles. They are banned under UN resolutions – including Resolution 1874 passed after North Korea's 25 May nuclear test – that prohibit any launch using ballistic missile technology.
Thursday's launches, on the other hand, did not violate the resolutions as they were cruise missiles rather than ballistic, according to South Korea.
Ballistic missiles are guided during their ascent out of the atmosphere, but fall freely on descent. Cruise missiles fly low and straight to their target.
The North has a record of timing missile tests for America's Independence Day, which fell yesterday. "The missiles were seen as part of military exercises, but North Korea also appeared to have sent a message to the US through the missile launches," a senior official in South Korea's presidential office said.
The official said that North Korea might fire more missiles in coming days, but there was little possibility it could fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, as it threatened in April.
Daniel Pinkston, a Seoul-based analyst for the International Crisis Group think tank, said political and military reasons were behind the launches.
"I think it's a demonstration of their defiance and rejection of the UN Security Council Resolution 1874 for one thing, and to demonstrate their military power capabilities to any potential adversaries," Pinkston said.
During the US holiday in 2006, Pyongyang fired a barrage of missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 that broke apart and fell into the ocean less than a minute after lift-off. Those launches, which occurred on 5 July in North Korea, also came amid tensions with the US over North Korea's nuclear programme.
North Korea had warned ships to stay away from its east coast until 10 July for military exercises – an indication it was planning launches.
Chief of US naval operations Admiral Gary Roughead said yesterday that the American military was ready for any North Korean missile tests.
"Our ships and forces here are prepared for the tracking of the missiles and observing activities," he said after meeting Japanese military officials in Tokyo before news of the launches.
"We are aware of possible missile launches by North Korea and are closely monitoring North Korea's activities and intentions," said US State Department spokesman Karl Duckworth. "North Korea should refrain from actions that aggravate tensions and focus on denuclearisation talks."
South Korea and Japan, which are within easy range of North Korean missiles, condemned the launches as a "provocative" act that violates the UN resolution.
South Korea "expressed deep regret over the North's continuous behaviour that escalates tensions in north-east Asia by repeatedly defying" the resolution, the foreign ministry said.
In Tokyo, chief cabinet secretary Takeo Kawamura said the launch of missiles "is a serious act of provocation against the security of neighbouring countries, including Japan, and is against the resolution of the UN Security Council".
Russia and China called for calm. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the two countries had agreed that all sides should refrain from any steps that could further destabilise the region.
