North Korea Test Fires Short-Range Missiles In Sea Of Japan

North Korea claims to have successfully test-fired three short-range missiles with a range of slightly over 100 miles.

Fired from the testing base in Wonsan on the east coast, the projectiles flew 130 miles before falling harmlessly into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military told the New York Times.

South Korean officials said the action by its Communist neighbor tested whether the new missile exceeded the range of North Korea's KN-2 missile; they believed the same missile was test-fired by the North Koreans last month and on Monday as well.

North Korea said it successfully tested a newly developed tactical missile after test firing five-such missiles last month.

The reclusive dictatorship has conducted an unusually frequent number of tests of its short-range missiles this year, with the South Korean military saying the North has fired more than 110 projectiles, mostly of the short-range variety, during 19 rounds of test exercises conducted since January.

In the past North Korea has often fired missiles to raise tensions in the region, in the hope of forcing the U.S. and its neighbor South Korea to engage in dialogue. But military analysts say these tests are designed to extend the range of its short-range projectiles, giving the country the capability of hitting U.S. bases in South Korea. American bases in South Korea recently moved away from the country’s border with the North. The main U.S. air bases south of Seoul were also moved, the Times reported.