Seoul - South Korea on Tuesday warned North Korea
it was playing a dangerous game with a series of
missile, rocket and artillery tests that appear to be
inching ever closer to their joint border.
In the latest incident on Monday, the North fired 100
shells into the sea from multiple rocket launchers in
a live-fire drill close to the eastern maritime
boundary.
"Some civilian tourists at the east coast even saw the
water splash after the shells fell in the sea, which is
very threatening to our country," said ministry
spokesperson Kim Min-Seok.
North Korea regularly fires off missiles and rockets,
but the frequency of the recent tests - six in less than
three weeks - is unusual.
They have included artillery shells, short-range
rockets and Scud missiles with a range of 500km - all
fired into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) from various
locations.
Most have been personally monitored on-site by
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
Kim Min-Seok stressed that a stray missile or shell
risked triggering a serious confrontation.
"Our stance is clear," he told a press briefing.
"We will retaliate without hesitation if the North
sends any of its missiles or shells to the south of the
border."
Muscle flexing
UN resolutions bar North Korea from conducting
any launches using ballistic missile technology, but
the response to the recent tests has so far been
limited to verbal protests from Seoul, Tokyo and
Washington.
Analysts see numerous possible motives behind the
tests: pique over Chinese President Xi Jinping's
recent visit to South Korea, anger over joint South
Korean-US military drills, and a general effort at
some attention-seeking muscle flexing.
While guiding Monday's live-fire exercise, Kim Jong-
Un was quoted by the North's official KCNA news
agency as saying hostile forces were becoming more
blatant in their moves to "isolate and stifle" North
Korea.
Later the same day, US President Barack Obama and
Xi Jinping had a telephone call during which they
discussed the need to ensure North Korea complies
with demands to dismantle its nuclear programme.
The North Korean tests have coincided with various
peace overtures to Seoul, including a proposal to
halt all provocative military activity.
Officials from both sides are due to hold rare talks
on Thursday to discuss North Korea's participation
in the upcoming Asian Games in the South Korean
port city of Incheon.
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has accused
Pyongyang of adopting a "two-faced attitude" by
proposing a lowering of tensions while continuing its
missile tests.