(LEAD) N. Korea fires short-range missiles into East Sea

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SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired a barrage of unidentified short-range missiles in the direction of the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The North "fired multiple rounds of unidentified missiles from its east coast town of Wonsan in the northeastern direction between 9:06 a.m. and 9:27 a.m. today," the JCS said in a release.

They flew for a range of about 70 kilometers to 200 kilometers, the JCS said, adding that South Korean and U.S. authorities are analyzing details of the missiles.

The latest launch came around 17 months after the communist country last fired the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November 2017, claiming that it can put the whole U.S. mainland within range.

"Our military has been closely watching North Korea's movements and has maintained a full-fledged posture in close coordination with the U.S.," the JCS said.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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