S. Korea test fires 800-km range missile

Seoul, April 6 (IANS) South Korea has successfully test-fired a new 800-km range missile that can reach anywhere in North Korea, defence sources said on Thursday.

It could send another strong warning message to North Korea which is continuing its nuclear and missile development prohibited by the international community, Yonhap News Agency quoted the sources as saying.

"There was a test firing of a Hyunmoo-type ballistic missile with a range of 800 km at the Anheung test site of the Agency for Defence Development," an informed source said.

"It's assessed that it was successful."

Defence Minister Han Min-koo inspected the test, in which the missile met the key requirements of normal blast, flight and the accuracy of hitting a target, added the source.

But the ADD shortened the flight range, however, due to the space limit.

If deployed, the new missile would cover all of North Korea even when fired from the southern-most region of the South.

On Wednesday, North Korea fired an apparent ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.

According to South Korean military, the launch was made from land and not from the sea, ruling out the possibility that it was a ballistic missile launched from a submarine (SLBM), as Pyongyang has launched before from the sea off the coast of Sinpo, where its main centre of development for these projectiles is located.

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