North Korea launches two missiles: reports
Tue Jul 4, 2006 4:40pm ET
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-04T204003Z_01_N04284348_RTRUKOC_0_US-KOREA-NORTH-MISSILE.xml
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea fired two missiles on Wednesday, Japanese NHK television reported.
NHK said one missile landed in the Japan Sea 600 km (370 miles) from the Japanese mainland. Shortly afterwards it quoted the Japanese Defense Ministry as saying North Korea had fired a second missile.
CNN reported that a North Korean intercontinental missile the United States has been monitoring had not been fired.
No further details were immediately available.
President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had warned North Korea against test-firing a long-range missile.
Last week, Bush echoed earlier U.S. threats of a harsh response if North Korea went ahead with such a launch.
Koizumi said Japan would "apply various pressures" but declined to give details.
Experts say North Korea is developing long-range missiles to have the capability one day to deliver a nuclear bomb, but that Pyongyang is years away from having such a weapons system.
The first time North Korea test-fired a long-range missile -- in 1998 over Japan -- it rattled financial markets and raised fears among the Japanese.