On Thursday, North Korea conducted an unannounced missile exercise just days after the start of the annual U.S. and South Korean Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military exercises.
According to Reuters, a media official at the South Korean Defense Ministry confirmed that North Korea fired four short-range missiles over the sea at 5:42 p.m. local time on Thursday, from a mountain site just north of the South Korean border.
As Reuters reports, North Korea was reportedly angered when a U.S. B-52 conducted a sortie over South Korea.
According to a South Korean news agency, the missiles yesterday were believed to be Scud short-range missiles, which have a range of roughly 200 km (125 miles).
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren said the United States was not alarmed by the unannounced North Korean missile tests.
“We’ve seen these types of missile tests fairly regularly,” Warren said. “It’s a short-range Scud missile, which they are allowed to test. Nevertheless, we always call on the (North) Koreans to refrain from provocative actions.”
The U.S.-South Korean Key Resolve exercise ends on March 6, while the Foal Eagle exercises wraps on April 18.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/27/us-korea-north-missiles-idUSBREA1Q0U520140227