Missiles can hit key targets

2009-07-05 22:23

Seoul - The ballistic missiles that North Korea test-fired earlier this weekend were likely capable of striking key government and military facilities in South Korea, a defence official said on Sunday, amid growing concerns over Pyongyang's firepower.

North Korean state media did not mention the launches, but boasted that the country's military could impose "merciless punishment" on those who provoke it.

Pyongyang launched seven missiles into waters off its east coast on Saturday in a show of force that defied UN resolutions and drew international condemnation.

Sanctions

The missiles appear to have travelled about 400km, meaning they could have reached almost any point in South Korea, an official at the South Korean Defence Ministry said.
The official said the exact details of the launches were still under investigation.

The launches on US Independence Day appeared to be a poke at Washington as it moves to enforce UN as well as its own sanctions against the isolated regime for its May 25 nuclear test.
But vice-president Joe Biden indicated the US would not be baited. He described the flurry of rockets as "attention-seeking behaviour".

North and South Korea, which fought a 1950-53 war, still face off across the world's most heavily fortified border. The United States, South Korea's key ally, has 28 500 troops stationed in the country as a deterrent.

Missiles

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been devoting much of the country's scarce resources to his 1.2 million-member military under the policy.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency - citing a government source it did not identify - reported that five of the seven ballistic missiles landed in one area, indicating their accuracy has improved.

Yonhap said two of the seven missiles launched are believed to be variants of Rodong missiles while the rest are believed to be upgraded versions of Scud-C missiles.

- SAPA