<p>The North fired the KN-06 missile into the Yellow Sea in the middle of last week, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an intelligence source as saying.<br /><br />The source said the North has apparently been trying to increase the range of the KN-06 since last year and last week's launch seemed to be a test.<br /><br />The defence ministry in Seoul had no immediate comment.<br />JoongAng Ilbo newspaper also reported a test of the KN-06, which has a range of 100-110 km.<br /><br />It quoted a Seoul military official as saying the launch appeared to have been planned before a series of threats against South Korea last week from the hardline communist state.<br />The launch, if confirmed, would be the North's first known test of short-range missiles since October 2009, when it test-fired five KN-02 surface-to-surface missiles off its east coast.<br /><br />Pyongyang in the past has often scheduled such launches for political effect.<br />Tensions on the peninsula are high following two deadly border incidents last year which Seoul blames on its neighbour.<br /><br />On May 30, the North announced it would no longer deal with the South's conservative government.<br /><br />And last Friday its military threatened retaliation unless Seoul punishes troops who used pictures of Pyongyang's ruling dynasty as rifle-range targets.</p>
<p>The North fired the KN-06 missile into the Yellow Sea in the middle of last week, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an intelligence source as saying.<br /><br />The source said the North has apparently been trying to increase the range of the KN-06 since last year and last week's launch seemed to be a test.<br /><br />The defence ministry in Seoul had no immediate comment.<br />JoongAng Ilbo newspaper also reported a test of the KN-06, which has a range of 100-110 km.<br /><br />It quoted a Seoul military official as saying the launch appeared to have been planned before a series of threats against South Korea last week from the hardline communist state.<br />The launch, if confirmed, would be the North's first known test of short-range missiles since October 2009, when it test-fired five KN-02 surface-to-surface missiles off its east coast.<br /><br />Pyongyang in the past has often scheduled such launches for political effect.<br />Tensions on the peninsula are high following two deadly border incidents last year which Seoul blames on its neighbour.<br /><br />On May 30, the North announced it would no longer deal with the South's conservative government.<br /><br />And last Friday its military threatened retaliation unless Seoul punishes troops who used pictures of Pyongyang's ruling dynasty as rifle-range targets.</p>