TOKYO (Sputnik) — North Korea has fired two short-range missiles into the sea ahead of the visit by US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to Japan earlier this week, South Korean TV channel YTN reported Thursday.
North Korean KN-06 surface-to-air missiles were launched from the South Pyongan Province, YTN said, citing military sources.
Carter arrived in Japan on Tuesday and is expected to travel to South Korea on Thursday to discuss North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, among other topics, with local officials.
Earlier this month, head of US Northern Command Admiral William Gortney told reporters that North Korea may be capable of putting a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile that could reach the United States.
North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and conducted a series of underground nuclear weapon tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Pyongyang’s nuclear program has triggered multiple protests from the international community.
