North Korea fires five short-range missiles: official

North Korea test-fired five short-range missiles off its east coast today and banned ships from the area from October 10-20, a South Korean official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a Yonhap news agency report of the launches and of the "no sail" zones covering parts of the east and west coasts.

The agency quoted military experts as saying the launches appear to be part of regular military exercises. But they did not exclude the possibility that Pyongyang is demonstrating its firepower for political purposes.

The launches were the first reported since early July, and come amid international efforts to bring the hardline communist state back to six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. The US aircraft carrier George Washington is currently on exercises off the west coast of South Korea, the defence ministry said.

Yonhap said the North fired five KN-02 missiles with a range of 120 km from mobile launchers -- two in the morning and three in the afternoon. The KN-02 is a modified version of the Soviet-designed SS-21 missile.

South Korean military officials refused comment. The north has frequently launched short-range missiles off its east and west coasts in recent years.