N. Korea test-fires missiles off east coast

The missile tests, reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap, had been widely expected, since North Korea had warned ships to avoid the east coast through July 10 because of military exercises.

South Korean military officials have told news media in Seoul that the North may be preparing to launch a number of mid-range missiles in coming days, perhaps to taunt the United States on its July Fourth holiday.

Tension has been building in Northeast Asia since early spring, when North Korea launched a long-range missile over Japan. In late May it detonated its second nuclear bomb, which prompted a new round of UN sanctions and worldwide condemnation, even from North Korea’s historical allies, China and Russia.

In furious reaction to the sanctions, the government of Kim Jong Il vowed last month that it would never give up nuclear weapons and would begin making a lot more of them, using enriched uranium. Prior to this threat, North Korea had repeatedly denied having a program to enrich uranium.

Many analysts attribute North Korea’s recent brandishing of hardware and its many warnings of “merciless’’ war to a succession drama now underway in Pyongyang. Kim, 67, who suffered a stroke last summer and looks sickly, is believed to be positioning his 26-year-old third son, Jong Un, to take over as leader of the communist state.