Seoul: N. Korea fires 10 short-range ballistic missiles into sea

North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Thursday, the South Korean military said, days after Pyongyang's botched attempt to launch its military spy satellite, Yonhap News Agency reported. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missiles were fired from Pyongyang's Sunan area at 6:14 a.m. KST (21:14 Wednesday GMT) and flew about 350 kilometers before hitting the sea. "Our military has strengthened monitoring and vigilance against additional launches, while closely sharing information related to North Korean ballistic missiles with the US and Japanese authorities," the JCS was quoted as saying. It is unusual for North Korea to fire a barrage of some 10 missiles at one time, according to the report. The firings came after the North failed in an attempt to launch a second military spy satellite Monday as the space rocket carrying the satellite exploded during the first-stage flight shortly after liftoff. The launches also came after North Korea sent hun dreds of large balloons carrying trash to the South on Tuesday and Wednesday. Source: Kuwait News Agency