North Korea 'Fires Missile Into Sea'

February 25, 2003

North Korea has fired a missile into the Sea of Japan, between Japan and the Korean peninsula, reports say.

South Korea's military has gone on alert as a result of the incident, the AFP news agency said, citing military officials in Seoul.

News of the missile incident comes just before South Korea's new President, Roh Moo-hyun, is due formally to take office.

The JoongAng Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, added that the missile, which it said was tested on Monday, was a land-to-ship variety.

However defence officials in Washington and Tokyo told the Reuters news agency that they had no information about such a launch.

Regional tensions

The United States is currently engaged in a tense stand-off with North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear activities.

Previous North Korean missile tests have severely increased tensions in the region.

Most dramatically, in August 1998, North Korea fired a multi-stage missile over Japan that landed in the Pacific.

The following year, North Korea pledged to freeze testing of long-range missiles, and has been warned by Washington not to break this pledge.

President-elect Roh, who wants to engage his country's northern neighbour in dialogue, has expressed concern at tough US rhetoric against Pyongyang.

The US has voiced increasing frustration at what it sees as the unpredictable behaviour of the country and its hardline communist ruler, Kim Jong-Il.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2796067.stm