(2nd LD) Spy agency says N. Korea's firing of projectiles "not provocative"

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; ADDS photo, background in paras 6-7)

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's spy agency said Monday it does not see North Korea's firing of short-range projectiles last week as provocative as they appear to have been "ground-to-ground" weapons.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) delivered an initial analysis of the North's projectiles fired into the sea off its east coast on Saturday in a briefing to Lee Hye-hoon, a representative of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, at the National Assembly.

The NIS didn't specify the type of the ground-to-ground projectiles, saying the analysis is still underway, according to Rep. Lee.

The spy agency said North Korea's latest move suggests that it will not walk away from the negotiating table, the lawmaker told reporters following the briefing.

The launch of unspecified projectiles came months after the failed summit in February between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the North's pursuit of nuclear weapons that could reach the U.S. mainland.

In response to the provocations, Trump tweeted that Kim "fully realizes the great economic potential of North Korea & will do nothing to interfere or end it."

The North's latest provocations are widely seen as a sign of its growing frustration at the stalled denuclearization talks with the U.S. Pyongyang wants considerable sanctions relief in exchange for disarmament moves that Washington has rejected as insufficient.

(END)