Seoul (AsiaNews) - North Korea this morning fired two short-range missiles from the western city of Nampo, which fell into the sea that borders the peninsula to the east. It's Pyongyang's traditional response to the opening of the joint military exercises between the armies of South Korea and the United States.
These "war-games" are held every year and involve
tens of thousands of soldiers. According to the regime led by Kim Jong-un, they
are "a way to prepare for war"; for Seoul and Washington they are
"purely defensive". The first phase - "Key Resolve" -
lasts 12 days and is almost entirely related to cyber terrorism; the second -
"Foal Eagle" - lasts eight weeks and involves the traditional sectors
of the army.
The South Korean Chief of the Defence issued a statement saying that the
missiles launched this morning are probably Scud Cs or Scud Ds. The Seoul army,
the text reads, "remains vigilant against any additional launches". Defense Minister Kim Min-seok said: " If North Korea takes
provocative actions, our military will react firmly and strongly so North Korea
will regret it in its bones."
This morning's is the third missile launch by North Korea in 2015. In February,
the regime fired five short-range missiles into the eastern sea; two days
before, the same dictator Kim Jong-un ordered the launch of anti-ship rockets but they hit no
targets.