N. Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles off Coast
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}North Korea launched short-range missiles off its western coast Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, but it was still unclear how many had been fired.
"We have intelligence that North Korea fired short-range missiles into the waters off its western coast, and we are trying to confirm how many were fired and what type of missiles they are," a Defense Ministry official said on customary condition of anonymity.
The news came two weeks after North Korea test-fired at least one short-range missile into eastern coastal waters, which South Korean and U.S. officials played down as part of the communist country's regular military drills.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thursday's missile launches come as North Korea is refusing to move on its pledge to shut down its main nuclear reactor over a delay in withdrawing of $25 million at a Macau bank, which was blacklisted by the U.S.
The North has made the funds' release a key condition to disarmament, having boycotted international negotiations for more than a year over the issue, during which it conducted a nuclear test last October.
Last July, North Korea also fired a barrage of missiles, including a long-range one believed to be capable of reaching even parts of the United States.