DPRK fires two more missiles into sea
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Wednesday morning, a Republic of Korea defense official said.
The launch is the latest in a recent series of DPRK missile and rocket tests.
The projectiles, presumed to be Scud missiles, were fired from southwest Hwanghae Province and flew across the country before landing in the ocean, the official said, requesting anonymity, citing department rules.
The missiles had a range of 500 km, he said.
The DPRK has conducted an unusually large number of test-firings of missiles, artillery and rockets since early this year. ROK officials have confirmed about 90 such firings by the DPRK since Feb 21, and 10 of them have been ballistic launches, according to the ROK's Defense Ministry.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman urged on Wednesday joint efforts to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula after the ROK announcement.
"Under the current circumstances, we hope all parties can do more to ease the current tension so as to jointly maintain regional peace and stability," spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing.
Also on Wednesday, the DPRK's state media announced the death of Jon Pyong-ho, a former missile expert. Jon, 88, died of natural causes.
"He made a special contribution to turning the KPA into a powerful elite revolutionary army equipped with modern and defensive means and converting the DPRK into a satellite producer, launcher, and a nuclear weapons state," the official KCNA news agency said, using the acronym for the Korean People's Army.
AP - Reuters - Xinhua
(China Daily 07/10/2014 page11)
