North Korea projectiles land harmlessly in sea: Seoul
| SEOUL, South Korea
North聽Korea聽fired three short-range聽projectiles聽Thursday into the waters off its east coast in a possible move to stoke tensions with Seoul, a South Korean defense official said. Pyongyang's military later criticized alleged South Korean shelling in disputed waters.
The South Korean official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules, said the聽projectiles聽flew about 190 kilometers (120 miles) before harmlessly landing in the water. The聽projectiles聽were fired from聽North聽Korea's聽eastern port city of Wonsan, and the South Korean military was investigating the type of聽projectiles聽and the聽North's聽intentions, the official said.
Later Thursday,聽North聽Korea's聽army, while not mentioning its own聽projectiles, released a statement in state media saying SouthKorea聽had fired shells without notice into the聽North's聽waters from a front-line island near a Yellow Sea boundary that Pyongyang bitterly disputes.
The聽North聽Korean army in the front-line area is "full of the strong will of retaliation to punish the provocateurs to the last one by giving vent to their pent-up grudge," the statement said. "What they are waiting for is only the order to be given."
Short-range test firings by聽North聽Korea聽aren't unusual, but a barrage of missile and artillery tests earlier this year boosted animosity between the rivals. A聽North聽Korean artillery attack in 2010 killed four South Koreans on a front-line Yellow Sea island.
North聽Korea聽has in recent months threatened South聽Korea's聽leader, calling her a prostitute, and the South has vowed to hitNorth聽Korea聽hard if provoked.聽North聽Korea's聽rising anger coincided with annual joint military exercises by the U.S. and SouthKorea聽and a visit to Seoul by President Barack Obama.聽North聽Korea聽also test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles and exchanged artillery fire with South聽Korea聽near a disputed boundary in the Yellow Sea.
On Wednesday, an unidentified spokesman for聽North聽Korea's聽Foreign Ministry warned the U.S. government that if it didn't block the release of a new American comedy about a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un, it would be an "act of war." He didn't mention the movie by name but was clearly referring to "The Interview," which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco.
There was also widespread speculation about a possible聽North聽Korean nuclear test.聽North聽Korea聽has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, the latest in February 2013.
Experts believe聽North聽Korea聽has developed a handful of crude nuclear devices and is working toward building a warhead small enough to mount on a long-range missile, although most experts say that goal may take years to achieve.
The Korean Peninsula is still technically in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
