DPRK fires two short-range projectiles into east waters

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two short-range projectiles into its east waters Wednesday, a day after South Korea refused a proposal of the DPRK to stop all military hostilities, a Defense Ministry official said.

The projectiles, presumed to be shells fired from 300-mm multiple-rocket launcher termed by South Korea as KN-09, were launched at 6:50am and 8am local time each, the official at the South Korean Defense Ministry told Xinhua on the phone.

The projectiles, which flew some 180 km, were fired from Wonsan areas, the DPRK's southeastern region, into the east waters.

The military official said the two projectiles fired earlier in the day were similar in range and trajectory with those launched on June 26.

The DPRK launched two Scud missiles, which flew 500 kms, into its east waters on June 29 after firing three KN-09 shells with a range of 190 km on June 26.

The Wednesday firing came a day after South Korea refused a proposal of the DPRK to stop all military hostilities from Friday.

The DPRK called for South Korea to scrap this year's Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercise between Seoul and Washington slated for August, but South Korea said "there is something hard to accept actually" in the DPRK's call.

Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do told a routine press briefing that the DPRK was believed to have fired missiles recently after considering the inter-Korean ties and its external relations, urging Pyongyang to stop such military actions that can escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The Wednesday firing was the DPRK's 12th launch of missiles or artillery shells this year. The DPRK has launched a total of 97 short- and medium-range missiles and shells since Feb 21.

(Updated at 13:20)