North Korea launches missiles into sea

North Korea launched four Scud missiles into thesea off its eastern coast Thursday, the South Korean Defense Ministry said.The missiles were fired in the direction of Russia and fell into the sea, according to the Pentagon, which described the launch as a very low-level matter.The missiles were fired just days after the start ofannual joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States that North Korea opposes. The joint military exercises routinely spark tension between North Korea, South Korea and the United States.For example, last year's exercises triggered weeks of heightened tensions between the nations and North Korean threats of nuclear war.The South Korean and U.S. militaries have not been specific about where they are conducting their drills.The South Korean Defense Ministry said that the North had fired the Scuds in a northeasterly direction and that they probably fell into North Korean waters of the East Sea, which is also known as the Sea of Japan.It was the first time North Korea had fired Scud missiles, which have a range that covers the whole of the Korean Peninsula, since 2009, SouthKorea said."We consider it to be threatening and a military provocation," said South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Ming-seok, although heacknowledged the firings may have been a test launch or part of military drills.Foreign policy experts say the North Korean missile firings may not herald a repeat of last year's saber rattling from Pyongyang, which included threats of preemptive nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea and the declaration that the armistice that stopped the Korean War in 1953 is null and void.North Korea tested a multistage rocket with possible intercontinental potential in December 2012, and carried out a third nuclear test in February 2013. It was then stung by fierce international criticism and sanctions.