North Korea launches 2 ballistic missiles toward sea in protest of US-South Korea military drills

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast hours after South Korean and U.S. troops ended a fifth round of large-scale live-fire drills near the Koreas’ heavily fortified border. The North Korean launches are its first since it failed to put its first spy satellite into orbit in late May. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the missiles were launched from North Korea’s capital region and were a “grave provocation.” The launches came after North Korea’s military vowed to respond to the South Korean-U.S. drills.