North Korea fired two short-range missiles into its eastern waters Sunday, a South Korean official said, an apparent test fire that comes just days after the country tested what it called new precision-guided missiles, according to Reuters.
The Defense Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules, said the missiles were fired from Wonsan and are presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles, Reuters reported.
The official said North Korea fired the missiles without designating no-sail zones, which the South Korean military views as provocative, according to Reuters. South Korean media quoted officials as saying the projectiles appeared to be Scud missiles.
North Korea regularly test-fires missiles and artillery, both to refine its weapons and to express its anger over various developments in Seoul and Washington, Reuters reported. North Korea has in recent days criticized alleged South Korean artillery firing drills near a disputed maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea that has been the scene of several bloody skirmishes between the rival nations in recent years.
The missile displays also come days before the leader of North Korea's only major ally, Chinese President Xi Jinping, is set to meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, according to Reuters. Seoul and Beijing have long pressed North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.
North Korea said Friday that leader Kim Jong Un guided test launches of a newly developed precision-guided missiles, in a likely reference to three short-range projectiles South Korean officials say the North fired a day earlier, Reuters reported.
After a brief period of warming ties earlier this year, animosity has risen on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has in recent months threatened South Korea's president, calling her a prostitute, and the South has vowed to hit North Korea hard if provoked, according to Reuters.
Pyongyang conducted a series of missile and artillery tests earlier this year in response to annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises it says it considers preparations for an invasion, Reuters reported. North Korea also test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles and exchanged artillery fire with South Korea near the disputed boundary in the Yellow Sea.
On Thursday, North Korea's army accused South Korea of firing shells into the North's waters near the sea boundary, according to Reuters. Both Koreas routinely conduct artillery drills near the maritime boundary.
