North Korea Tests Rocket Launcher With Range Beyond Seoul, South Says

[link to www.nytimes.com]

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Tuesday tested a new multiple-rocket launcher with a range long enough to strike major American and South Korean military bases south of Seoul, South Korean military officials said.

Four rockets were launched Tuesday afternoon from Wonsan, a coastal city east of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, flying 96 miles to the northeast before crashing into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said his ministry had determined that the rockets were fired from a new multiple-rocket launcher that North Korea had been developing. He spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing ministry policy.