North Korea Fires More Projectiles off East Coast | WPN World People News

North Korea has fired two more short-range projectiles off its east coast, the third such test in less than a week.

News of the launch came from South Korea, which said the projectiles landed harmlessly in the East Sea on Wednesday.

South Korean officials said the projectiles were fired from the city of Wonsan and had a range of 180 kilometers.

They are believed to be 300-millimeter KN-09 short-range rockets fired by a multiple rocket launcher.

Pyongyang test-fired two short-range missiles Sunday and launched two other projectiles Thursday in the same area.

The launches come ahead of a state visit to South Korea this week by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The talks, which begin Thursday, are expected to focus in large part on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Xi has met twice with South Korean President Park Geun-hye since he took office. He has not met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

China, North Korea's only major ally, has been putting more pressure on Pyongyang to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Some analysts say the rocket launches may be meant to send a message to Beijing that it is unhappy with the Chinese.

The launches also come as Japan and North Korea hold talks in Beijing on Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean spies.

Japan's delegate to the talks on Tuesday condemned the missile launches, saying they violate United Nations resolutions against the North.

His North Korean counterpart defended the tests as legitimate and said Pyongyang does not recognize the U.N. sanctions in question.

The tests raise already heightened tensions between North and South Korea, which remain in a technical state of war following their 1950s conflict.

The South on Tuesday rejected as disingenuous a proposal by Pyongyang's National Defense Commission to lower tensions.

The commission proposed this week that Seoul cancel upcoming military drills with the United States, which the North views as preparation to invade.