N.Korea launches short-range missiles into East Sea

Seoul, May 4 (IANS) North Korea on Saturday launched several short-range missiles into the East Sea, according to a statement released by South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff (JCS).The JCS said the unidentified missiles had been launched between 9.06 and 9.27 a.m., from a site near Wonsan, on the Hodo peninsula, located along North Korea's eastern coast, reports Efe news."Our military has been closely watching North Korea's movements and has maintained a full-fledged posture in close coordination with the US," the JCS added. The missiles flew a distance of between 70-100 km into the East Sea, according to the JCS.This test comes amid ongoing international negotiations on the Korean Peninsula's denuclarization. On April 18, Pyongyang said that leader Kim Jong-un had supervised the test of a new tactical weapon, without providing further details.South Korea later said that the weapon in question was a projectile system for terrestrial combat, while the Pentagon said it was not a ballistic missile.
--IANS ksk