North Korea Fires Three Ballistic Missiles in Show of Force

The first two missiles were believed to be short-range Scud missiles while the third was likely a mid-range Rodong.

South Korea’s mock missiles are displayed next to North Korea’s mock Scud-B, left, at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo: AP)

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles early on Tuesday which flew between 500 and 600 kms (300 and 360 miles) into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, making it the latest in a series of provocative moves by the isolated country.

The US military said it detected launches of what it believed were two Scud missiles and one Rodong, a home-grown missile based on Soviet-era Scud technology.

North Korea has fired both types numerous times in recent years, an indication that unlike recent launches that were seen as efforts by the North to improve its missile capability, Tuesday’s were meant as a show of force.

The launches came days after South Korea and the United States announced a final decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system in the South to counter threats from the North, which had prompted Pyongyang to threaten a “physical response.”

“The ballistic missiles flight went from 500 km to 600 km, which is a distance far enough to strike all of South Korea, including Busan,” the South’s military said in a statement.

North Korea has test-fired a series of ballistic missiles in recent months, in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including intermediate-range missiles in June and a submarine-launched missile this month.

(With inputs from Reuters)