North Korea fires 16 more short-range rockets into sea

North Korea has test-fired 16 short-range rockets off its eastern coast, amid ongoing war games between the United States and South Korea.

According to Press TV, a South Korean military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said North Korea fired the short-range rockets into the Sea of Japan between about 1:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. local time on Sunday (1600 GMT Saturday).

The South Korean official added, “They were rockets with a range of about 60 kilometers (37 miles).”

In a similar move on Saturday, Pyongyang test-fired 30 short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan amid calls by Washington and Seoul to stop the so-called acts of provocation.

Analysts say North Korea conducts such rocket launches to express its outrage at annual Washington-Seoul military drills.

In late February, South Korea kicked off its annual joint military exercises with the United States despite opposition from its northern neighbor. The annual “Key Resolve” and “Foal Eagle” drills will last until April 18 and involve a total of 12,700 US troops and many more from South Korea.

IRIB