N. KOREA FIRES BALLISTIC MISSILES

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea again fired what appears to be ballistic missiles on Monday morning. This is the fourth weapons launch North Korea carried out this year. South Korean and U.S. Intelligence authorities are analyzing information about the projectiles.

[Pkg]

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired two projectiles near Sunan Airport in Pyongyang into the East Sea at 8:50 a.m. Monday. The military believes they are short-range ballistic missiles and is working to identify their flight distance, altitude and speed in cooperation with the U.S. Monday’s launch came three days after Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles from a train. This also marks the fourth weapons launch the regime carried out this year. The North has been test-firing missiles at intervals of less than a week. In response, the U.S. last Wednesday blacklisted six North Korean officials, including those involved in missile development at the State Academy of Defense Sciences. The North’s foreign ministry issued a statement the following day, insisting the latest series of missile launches was just to modernize the country’s defense power, not to target a certain nation. It then condemned the U.S. for imposing sanctions and aggravating geopolitical tensions. Washington asked the UN Security Council to put five of the blacklisted North Koreans on the UN’s sanctions list. The UNSC’s sanctions committee on North Korea will likely decide on whether to accept the U.S. proposal this week.