North Korea Test-Fires Missile

In event that probably has nothing to do with Kim Jong Il's death
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2011 6:34 AM CST
North Korea Test-Fires Missile
South Korean students walk past replicas of North, back left, and South Korea's missiles at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

North Korea raised some eyebrows this morning by test-firing a short-range missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports. The test garnered extra attention because it came just hours after the death of Kim Jong Il, but South Korean officials tell the AP that the two events were likely unrelated. They explained that the firing was probably part of a routine drill. South Korea put its military on high alert at the news of Kim's death. (More North Korea stories.)

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