[UPDATES] North Korea fires short-range projectiles into sea

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 3, 2016, 11:39 Updated : March 3, 2016, 13:25

[Courtesy of Xinhua News]


North Korea on Thursday fired a volley of short-range projectiles into the sea after the United Nations Security Council approved the toughest sanctions in decades against the nuclear-armed country in response to its recent nuclear and missile tests.

The South's defense ministry said that  six "short-range projectiles" were fired from a base near North Korea's eastern port of Wonsan at around 10:00 am and fell in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) after flying up to 150 kilometers (90 miles).

"We are still analyzing their type," ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told reporters. Military officials said North Korea might have fired short-range missiles or used multiple rocket launchers. 

Sporadically, North Korea has fired multiple rocket launchers and short-range missiles into the sea in a show of military power.

In 2010, North Korea using multiple rocket launchers shelled the South Korean front-line island of Yeonpyeong near the disputed Yellow Sea border, killing four people. 

Thursday's launch came hours after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution containing broad sanctions, which are considered unprecedented in their scope and reach.

The resolution mandates countries to inspect all cargo to and from North Korea, cut off shipments of aircraft and rocket fuel, ban all weapons sales and restrict all revenues to the government unless for humanitarian purposes. Countries are required to expel North Korean diplomats affiliated with illicit programs and honor the robust list of sanctioned individuals and entities.

It also bans North Korean exports of coal and other mineral resources, a key source of hard currency that accounts for more than 40 percent of Pyongyang's total exports.

There was no official response yet from North Korea, which ignored previous UNSC resolutions and international warnings to carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and a long-range rocket launch a month later.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye welcomed the UN resolution and said in a speech at a Christian meeting: "The government will make efforts in cooperation with the entire world to end the tyranny of oppressing freedom and human rights in North Korea."

The South's foreign ministry said in a statement that the resolution "is an expression of the international community's firm will that North Korea's habitual nuclear tests and missile launches will not be tolerated any longer".

The latest launch also came after South Korea's parliament on late Wednesday passed its first legislation on North Korea's dismal human rights situation. Pyongyang has warned that enactment of the human rights law would result in "miserable ruin". 

The bill would establish a government center tasked with collecting, archiving and publishing information about human rights in North Korea.  Information kept at the center will be used to punish rights violators when the two Koreas eventually reunify.

In 2014, a UN commission of inquiry on North Korea published a report laying out abuses such as a harsh system of political prison camps holding up to 120,000 people. 

Washington announced its own new sanctions to target two of North Korea’s most powerful government bodies as part of a broader effort to try to choke off funding to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.

Other countries voiced their support for tough punitive measures against North Korea. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said the resolution sends a strong message to North Korea's leadership to comply with international obligations.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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