North Korea launched at least two short-range, Scud-type missiles into the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, a Pentagon official confirmed. A third launch was also reported, with the official indicating the matter was under investigation.
CNN, citing senior State Department sources, reported that at least three missiles were fired, one of which was a long-range Taepodong-2 capable of striking US territory. That test appeared to have failed in flight, according to one source cited by the network.
The White House acknowledged awareness of the situation but offered no immediate comment. US officials had been tracking the possibility of a Taepodong-2 launch for some time, and President George W. Bush had publicly criticized North Korea the previous Thursday for failing to communicate its missile plans to the international community.
Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had agreed during their Thursday meeting to apply unspecified pressure on Pyongyang if a long-range missile was launched. Japan remains especially wary of North Korean missile activity following a 1998 incident in which a Taepodong-1 flew over Japanese territory into the Pacific, spurring closer US-Japan cooperation on missile defense systems.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.