North Korea test-fires rockets into sea

North Korea launched 30 short-range rockets into the sea off its east coast Saturday, South Korea said, in the latest in a series of apparent protests against ongoing U.S.–South Korean military drills.

Maj. Kim Nam-wook of the South Korean Defense Ministry said the North Korean rockets flew about 37 miles early Saturday morning. It wasn't immediately clear what kind of rockets were fired, but they are believed to be old Soviet-developed FROG rockets that North Korea has had since the 1960s.

Such short-range launches are normally seen as routine, but there have been an unusual number this year coinciding with the routine war drills by Washington and Seoul that North Korea claims are invasion preparation.

South Korea believes the short-range rocket launches conducted by North Korea this month are an "armed protest" against the military drills. The annual South Korean–U.S. military drills started in late February and will run until mid-April.

As part of the drills, about 13,000 U.S. and South Korean forces on Thursday were to begin a series of amphibious landings.

Early last year, North Korea conducted its third nuclear weapons test, having successfully launched a long-range rocket in 2012 that critics said was aimed at proving technology for an intercontinental ballistic missile. Both of those are banned under U.N. sanctions.

A week ago, North Korea launched 25 rockets with a range of about 44 miles, South Korea said, and earlier this month a North Korean artillery launch happened minutes before a Chinese commercial plane reportedly carrying 202 people flew in the same area.

Pyongyang has said that its recent rocket drills are part of regular training and that officials are mindful of international navigation.

The Korean Peninsula remains officially at war because the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. 

Wire services