By Jun Ji-hye
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles, presumed to be Scuds, into the East Sea from a western inland site Wednesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"Pyongyang launched two missiles from a base in Hwanghae Province at 4 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. without proclaiming a no-sail, no-fly zone before firing them," JCS spokesman Um Hyo-sik said.
They flew some 500 kilometers and landed in international waters, Um said.
"The South Korean military is strengthening its surveillance and maintaining a readiness posture in case of additional launches," he said.
Despite the provocation, the North has recently been making peace overtures, proposing to send cheerleaders to the Incheon Asian Games, and urging that the South and North stop all hostile activities.
Experts say the North is eager to prove it is seeking peace on the Korean Peninsula while showing its military capabilities, as part of its conventional "dubious" tactics for dealing with security issues.
The launches came seven days after it fired off two short-range projectiles presumed to be rockets from a 300 millimeter multiple-rocket launcher into the East Sea, a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Seoul.
Wednesday's missile-firings also came hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Chinese officials at the sixth-annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing to talk about a broad range of bilateral issues. The North's missile and nuclear ambitions were likely on the agenda. Xi attended the opening ceremony of the meeting.
Experts assumed that the isolated state probably wanted to show off its missile capability through the launches amid worsening relations with Beijing, its only remaining major ally.
The latest launched were the 13th by the North this year and the fifth involving ballistic missiles.
"Beijing-Pyongyang relations have recently worsened with Xi's Seoul visit," said Kim Youl-soo, a professor at Sungshin Women's University.
Kim said that the North's third nuclear test and the sudden purge of No. 2 man Jang Song-thaek triggered the cooler Beijing-Pyongyang relations.
"Xi became the first Chinese leader who visited Seoul before Pyongyang, and the North is now attempting to join hands with Japan and Russia to avoid being isolated. Beijing-Pyongyang relations are continuing to take a turn for the worse," he said.
In addition, military officials are paying much more attention to the firing site of the Wednesday's launch, as it marked the first time in nearly two decades that the North fired off missiles from an inland area, and not a coastal one.
Hwanghae Province is located near the West Sea, meaning that the missiles crossed over part of the reclusive state.
"Pyongyang appears to be staging an armed protest with a purpose of showing that it can fire missiles at anytime from anywhere," said an official.
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles, presumed to be Scuds, into the East Sea from a western inland site Wednesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"Pyongyang launched two missiles from a base in Hwanghae Province at 4 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. without proclaiming a no-sail, no-fly zone before firing them," JCS spokesman Um Hyo-sik said.
They flew some 500 kilometers and landed in international waters, Um said.
"The South Korean military is strengthening its surveillance and maintaining a readiness posture in case of additional launches," he said.
Despite the provocation, the North has recently been making peace overtures, proposing to send cheerleaders to the Incheon Asian Games, and urging that the South and North stop all hostile activities.
Experts say the North is eager to prove it is seeking peace on the Korean Peninsula while showing its military capabilities, as part of its conventional "dubious" tactics for dealing with security issues.
The launches came seven days after it fired off two short-range projectiles presumed to be rockets from a 300 millimeter multiple-rocket launcher into the East Sea, a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Seoul.
Wednesday's missile-firings also came hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Chinese officials at the sixth-annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing to talk about a broad range of bilateral issues. The North's missile and nuclear ambitions were likely on the agenda. Xi attended the opening ceremony of the meeting.
Experts assumed that the isolated state probably wanted to show off its missile capability through the launches amid worsening relations with Beijing, its only remaining major ally.
The latest launched were the 13th by the North this year and the fifth involving ballistic missiles.
"Beijing-Pyongyang relations have recently worsened with Xi's Seoul visit," said Kim Youl-soo, a professor at Sungshin Women's University.
Kim said that the North's third nuclear test and the sudden purge of No. 2 man Jang Song-thaek triggered the cooler Beijing-Pyongyang relations.
"Xi became the first Chinese leader who visited Seoul before Pyongyang, and the North is now attempting to join hands with Japan and Russia to avoid being isolated. Beijing-Pyongyang relations are continuing to take a turn for the worse," he said.
In addition, military officials are paying much more attention to the firing site of the Wednesday's launch, as it marked the first time in nearly two decades that the North fired off missiles from an inland area, and not a coastal one.
Hwanghae Province is located near the West Sea, meaning that the missiles crossed over part of the reclusive state.
"Pyongyang appears to be staging an armed protest with a purpose of showing that it can fire missiles at anytime from anywhere," said an official.
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