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N. Korea launches rockets for second straight day


SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired 16 short-range rockets from its east coast early Sunday for a second straight day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the latest in a series of provocative launches that are in apparent protest of ongoing joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.

The North fired 30 FROG ground-to-ground rockets from the eastern city of Wonsan, the same test site, early Saturday, without making a pre-announcement for civilian flights or vessels.

The North launched the same type of rockets over two times between 00:52 a.m. and 2:31 a.m. Sunday, which flew about 60 kilometers into the sea, according to the military.

"The military has maintained vigilance against additional launches," the JCS said.

Pyongyang has fired a spate of Scud ballistic missiles and artillery using multiple rocket launchers from its east coast since late February, in apparent protest against ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military drills. The communist-state claimed the launches were for the purpose of "self-defense."

The two-week war game Key Resolve ended in early March, while the two-month field training Foal Eagle runs through April 18.

The North has denounced the joint drills as a rehearsal for invasion, while Seoul and Washington have said they are defensive in nature.

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