North Korea Launches Two Midrange Missiles (original) (raw)

Asia Pacific|North Korea Launches Two Midrange Missiles

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/world/asia/north-korea-launches-two-midrange-missiles.html

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March 25, 2014

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea demonstrated its ballistic missile capabilities by launching two midrange missiles on Wednesday, after the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea gathered in the Netherlands to discuss the North’s nuclear threats.

In North Korea’s first tests of midrange projectiles in nearly five years, two Rodong missiles blasted off from mobile launching vehicles from Sukchon, north of Pyongyang, early Wednesday and flew 403 miles before landing in the sea between North Korea and Japan, said Kim Min-seok, a spokesman of the South Korean Defense Ministry.

“By launching them from mobile vehicles which are difficult to monitor and allow North Korea to fire missiles from anywhere it wanted, the country appeared to show off its ability to attempt a surprise attack,” Mr. Kim said. “This is a serious provocation against South Korea and the international community.”

Mr. Kim would not say how it was known that mobile vehicles had been involved, but North Korea has displayed an array of mobile launching pads known as transporter erector launchers in recent military parades.

He condemned the tests as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that were adopted after the North’s nuclear and long-range rocket tests in recent years and that banned the country from developing any ballistic missile technology.

Wednesday’s tests were North Korea’s first use of Rodongs since 2009. The Rodong, developed from the old Soviet-designed Scud missiles, remains among the most formidable of North Korea’s growing arsenal of ballistic weapons. It has a range of 807 miles, or enough to cover most of Japan.

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