Seoul: North Korea fires suspected artillery shells into sea

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea test-fired what appeared to be artillery shells toward the sea Sunday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected several flight trajectories believed to be North Korean artillery. It says South Korea maintains a firm military readiness in close coordination with the United States. The launches come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for greater defense capability to cope with outside threats. North Korea has conducted a spate of weapons tests in what foreign experts call an attempt to pressure Washington and Seoul to relax international sanctions and make other concessions. South Korean and U.S. officials say North Korea has almost completed preparations for its first nuclear test in about five years.