South Korea successfully test-fires missile that can reach all of North Korea - Asia - World - The I...

1. South Korea successfully test-fires missile that can reach all
of North Korea
South Korea successfully test-fires missile that can reach all of North Korea - Asia - World - The
Independent
The missile, which had a reported range of more than 500 kilometers (300 miles), was fired from a
southern launch pad, said an official at Seoul's Defense Ministry who spoke on condition of
anonymity because of office rules. President Park Geun-hye watched the launch, according to her
office.
At the same launch pad, South Korea tested another missile aimed at shooting down an enemy
ballistic missile, the defense official said.
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There was no immediate response from North Korea,
which is heavily sanctioned for its past long-range
rocket and nuclear tests and considers U.S. and South
Korean military drills a preparation for an attack.
South Korea struck a deal with the United States in
2012 that allows Seoul to possess longer-range
missiles to better cope with North Korea's nuclear and
missile threats.
The North's recent claim to have test-fired a missile from a submarine caused security worries
among many South Koreans who suspect that Pyongyang is working on harder-to-detect means to
launch attacks. The North also recently reiterated its claim that it had built a nuclear warhead small
enough to be mounted on a long-range missile.

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Foreign analysts are skeptical about both claims. But they agree that the country has made progress
in its efforts to possess a nuclear-tipped missile that can threaten the U.S. and South Korea.
International disarmament talks on the North's atomic weapons program remain stalled.
The 2012 U.S. deal allows South Korea to possess ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800
kilometers (500 miles). A previous 2001 accord with Washington had barred South Korea from
deploying ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) because of
concerns about a regional arms race.
The Korean Peninsula remains officially at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an
armistice, not a peace treaty. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence
against possible aggression from North Korea.
AP