Pyongyang, July 04: North Korea has test-fired three more missiles off its eastern coast in Wonsan, officials monitoring launchpads in the North have reported.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired the first two missiles, which appeared to be of scud type, around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT Friday) into the Sea of Japan.
The third missile was launched at around 10:45 am local time and flew for about 400 kilometers (250 miles) — similar to the previous two missiles.
The latest missile launches were carried two days after Pyongyang test-fired four short-range missiles off its eastern coast, amid tensions sparked by its nuclear standoff with the West.
“Although the missiles fired on Thursday appear to be part of routine military drills, the recent scud missiles seem to have political purposes as they were fired a day before the US Independence Day,” an unidentified South Korean government official said.
“The Scuds fired today impose [a] greater security threat to us because of their longer ranges,” the official said.
Pyongyang had threatened in April to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile in protest at a statement by the UN Security Council in condemnation of earlier North Korean long-range missile tests.
The communist country is banned from testing ballistic missiles under UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea insists it nuclear program is deterrent against US forces in the region and accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple its government.
—–Agencies