North Korea fires short-range missiles second day in a row

SEOUL, May 19 (UPI) -- South Korean officials condemned the launching of another short-range missile Sunday by North Korea, saying the action was provocative.

North Korea fired the missile Sunday afternoon into the ocean off the country's east coast, one day after the country fired three short-range missiles into the same body of water, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Kim Hyung-suk, a spokesman for the South Korean unification ministry, said the missiles were provocative and "deplorable" and called on the North to "act responsibly."

Meanwhile, Kim also blamed North Korea for the closure of a jointly run factory complex in a North Korean border town and called for talks to solve the issue.

Earlier this month, North Korea pulled 53,000 workers from the Kaesong industrial complex and prevented South Korean employees, parts and supplies from entering the area, Yonhap News Agency said.

The North rejected talks proposed by the South last week.

"It's quite regrettable that North Korea has denigrated our dialogue proposals and distorted facts while shifting the blame for the halted operations to us," Kim said. "If North Korea is serious about discussions over raw materials, it must respond to our offer for talks."