ASIA: N Korea fires four short-range missiles amid nuke standoff
Fri Jul 3 02:32:37 EST 2009
South Korean military officials say North Korea has test-fired four short-range missiles .. further fuelling tension sparked by its nuclear standoff with the international community.
The Yonhap news agency reports the missiles .. apparently surface-to-ship ones .. were fired into the Sea of Japan from a base at Sinsang-ri .. near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan.
It's the first military action the hardline communist state has taken since the United Nations on June 12 imposed tougher sanctions for its May 25 nuclear test.
United States and South Korean officials believe ailing leader KIM JONG-IL is staging a show of strength to bolster his authority .. as he tries to put in place a succession plan involving his youngest son.
AAP RTV sn/psm/
