N. Korea fires three missiles: S. Korea

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with another missile launch; CHANGES headline)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea test-launched three missiles off its
eastern coast Saturday, the eve of U.S. Independence Day, in what South Korean
officials viewed as a politically motivated action amid Pyongyang's stand-off
with Washington over its missile and nuclear programs.

"North Korea fired two missiles, which appeared to be a Scud type, toward the
East Sea from the Gitdaeryong base near Wonsan, Gangwon Province, between 8:00
a.m. and 8:30 a.m. today (Seoul time). And it fired another one into the East Sea
from the same site around 10:45 a.m.," an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(JCS) said, requesting anonymity. "All the missiles are estimated to have a range
of 400-500km."
He said the military is fully ready to counter any threat or provocation by North
Korea in a joint defense posture with U.S. troops.
The launch was the latest in a series of provocative acts by the communist nation
that refuses to rejoin multilateral talks on its nuclear program.
Earlier this week, the North fired a salvo of four KN-01 surface-to-ship missiles
from the Sinsang-ni base, South Hamgyong Province, into the East Sea, adding to
tensions already running high after the North's launch of a long-range rocket in
April and its second nuclear test the following month.
The official said the ballistic missiles the North fired Saturday --
ground-to-ground ones -- are more dangerous than the four previous ones, as they
have a relatively long range among short-range missiles, enough to cover the
entire South Korean area.
"The missiles fired on July 2 were analyzed to be part of military drills, but
today's missiles seem to have political purposes in that they were fired a day
ahead of the U.S. Independence Day," he added.
A South Korean military source did not rule out the possibility that what the
North fired on Saturday might have actually been Rodong missiles, a modification
of Scud missiles, saying their flight distances may have been shortened
deliberately for the tests. Rodong-type missiles have an estimated range of
1,000-1,400 km and are able to reach many parts of Japan.
The North is believed to have about 1,000 ballistic missiles alone -- including
nearly 700 Scud missiles of various types and 320 Rodong missiles.
The North has been preparing for the launch of new mid-range missiles and Scud
missiles since early last month, according to the South Korean military
authorities.
The authorities, however, said there is no sign of an imminent launch of an
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from either its eastern Musudan-ri base
or the new Tongchang-ri base on its west coast.
In April, North Korea threatened to test-fire an ICBM in protest of the U.N.
Security Council's condemnation of its long-range rocket launch, which it claimed
to be aimed at sending a communications satellite into space.
Citing satellite photos, U.S. military officials said the North has not mounted
an ICBM on a launch pad or injected fuel, a process that takes at least a week.
A British diplomat in Pyongyang also said the North is unlikely to fire an ICBM
anytime soon.
"We have seen no evidence as yet to state that there will be a launch in the
next couple of days of an ICBM," Peter Hughes, the British ambassador to North
Korea, said in a news conference with reporters in London via video link from
Pyongyang.
He pointed out, however, that "the thing about North Korea is its
unpredictability. You cannot say it will never do something."
North Korea test-fired a long-range Taepodong-2 missile, along with several
short-and mid-range missiles, on U.S. Independence Day in 2006 and detonated
another nuclear bomb this year on May 25 during the U.S. Memorial Day holiday,
acts that North Korea watchers said were intended to draw more attention from
Washington.
Meanwhile, Japan was quick to condemn the North's latest missile launch.
It is "a serious act of provocation against the security of neighboring
countries, including Japan," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said
in a statement.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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