N. Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles into eastern sea

N. Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles into eastern sea. July. 20, 2016 07:00. by 윤상호군사전문기자 ysh1005@donga.com.

North Korea launched three ballistic missiles off the east coast on Tuesday, presumably two Scuds and a Rodong. The South Korean military described this as an armed protest against the decision to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, in Seongju, South Korea. Seoul is taking keen attention against possible further provocations by Pyongyang.

The South Korean authorities confirmed that the North fired three missiles off its east coast near the region of Hwangju between 5:45 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday. The missiles flew 500∼600 km across the North Korean territory and fell on the open waters. “They have the capacity to hit all of South Korea including Busan," said a military official. Washington announced that the first two are likely to be Scuds while the last one seemed to be a Rodong. According to the official, the third missile failed to fly in a normal orbit, meaning that it was launched in a high angle or with reduced fuel and fell or exploded in the process of launch. Scuds and Rodong missiles are defendable with the THAAD system.

Another official said that North Korea seems to have carried out the provocation as a threat against the of THAAD deployment, six days after the announcement. It had warned earlier on July 11 that "physical actions" will take place from the moment the location for THAAD deployment is declared.