- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

N.Korea launches short-range missiles into Sea of Japan - agencies

Subscribe
North Korea launched several short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan, Japan's Kyodo news agency said Friday, citing U.S. spy satellite photos obtained by sources "close to Japan-U.S. relations."

MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea launched several short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan, Japan's Kyodo news agency said Friday, citing U.S. spy satellite photos obtained by sources "close to Japan-U.S. relations."

NHK, a Japanese TV network, quoted government sources as saying the launch took place before noon from the eastern and western coasts of the Korean Hemisphere. South Korean news agency Yonhap said the launches were part of a routine military exercise.

Sources quoted by the Japanese media allayed fears concerning the launches, saying the missile range was probably under 200 km (120 miles), too short to threaten Japan's national security.

The National Defense and Foreign Ministries of Japan declined to comment, saying the information has yet to be verified. Most sources so far have said Pyongyang had launched some modified version of the Silkworm anti-ship missile.

North Korea launched short-range missiles from its eastern coast in May 2005 and a total of seven missiles, including the Taepodong-2 (range up to 6,000 km, or 3,700 miles) in July 2006.

A new medium-range missile was demonstrated at a Pyongyang military parade last month, resembling the modernized Soviet SSN-6 Sawfly. Experts put its possible range at 4,000 km (2,500 miles), capable of reaching Japan. One North Korean missile flew over Japan into the Pacific Ocean in 1998.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала