The South Korean Defense Ministry has urged North Korea to stop heightening military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In the wake of North Korea's short-range missile test and artillery exercises this past Saturday, ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo addressed the situation without specifically describing the military move as a missile launch.

[Sound bite: Defense Ministry Spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo (Korean)] 
"North Korea's launch of multiple projectiles partially goes against the purpose of the (inter-Korean) military agreement and we are very concerned. We urge North Korea to cease actions that heighten military tensions on the Korean Peninsula."

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said on Saturday that the North fired a single missile from near the coastal town of Wonsan. The JCS then issued another statement, replacing a previous reference to a missile launch -- which could be in violation of UN Security Council sanctions -- with the phrase "several projectiles." 

JCS spokesperson Kim Joon-rak on Tuesday said that the South detected several short-range projectiles, including 240 millimeter and 300 millimeter multiple rocket launchers and new tactical guided weapons, fired into the East Sea. The short-range projectiles flew 70 to 240 kilometers.

[Photo : YONHAP News]