SEOUL – North Korea test-fired short-range missiles yesterday, according to South Korean media, sparking consternation just as the reclusive state had been signalling to the outside world it might return to nuclear talks.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, reacting to the reported launches, said Washington would continue to work towards a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, while a Russian official expressed bewilderment.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted a government source as saying Pyongyang had launched five missiles off its east coast and declared a “no sail” zone in the area from October 10th to 20th. South Korean government officials were not immediately available for comment.
The latest launches, the first in about three months, come as Pyongyang has said it is ready to return to international talks on its nuclear weapons programme, though it has insisted it holds talks first with the US.
A South Korea military official said if the report was true, it was a surprise but could not say if the firings were a provocation because “they do it pretty often”.
But they coincided with local media reports that the US is planning to send its aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the South Korean port of Busan today.
A source quoted Russia’s foreign ministry as saying: “The launch of short-range missiles by the Korean People’s Democratic Republic causes bewilderment.
“It was not the most suitable time to do this now, when all efforts are made to restart six-way talks on Korea’s nuclear problem,” the source was quoted as saying.
– (Reuters)