SEOUL, South Korea North Korea test-fired what appeared to be three short-range missiles off its east coast Thursday, according to South Korean reports."One was fired at 5:20 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m. from Sinsang-ni," near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, South Korean defense ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The ministry later said a third missile had been launched.
A U.S. official told CNN "the missile firings come as no surprise."
"The North has been carrying out provocative acts for some time," said the official who did not want to be named for security reasons. "North Korea needs to stop this type of activity and return to the process of bringing about a denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."
The launch was expected. The North Korean government issued a warning to mariners to avoid an area in the Sea of Japan at certain times between June 24 and July 9 because of a "military firing exercise," according to a U.S. military communication about the warning provided to CNN.
The North issued a similar warning before testing a long-range missile in April, but that warning indicated two potential danger areas more indicative of a long-range missile test.
Thursday's reported test comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea conducted a nuclear test in May, fired test rockets and threatened U.S. and South Korean ships near its territorial waters.
Analyst Daniel Pinkston said the reported test might be training for a future test but it also could just be a routine military exercise.
"It is worrisome to some degree, but it is different from a ballistic missile launch," said Pinkston of the International Crisis Group in Seoul, South Korea.
"It's part of military training, but there seem to be no movements of troops or anything that would suggest preparations for military operations."So yes, people are watching it, the military is watching it here, but I don't' think it's related to any plans or operations to attack anyone."
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