Missiles Show NKorea Skills Improving: Officials

North Korea's weekend missile launches show the communist country is improving its capability and accuracy and are a cause for concern, officials said Sunday.

A South Korean conservative activist burns a defaced North Korean flag and mock missiles during a...

A South Korean conservative activist burns a defaced North Korean flag and mock missiles during a rally denouncing North Korea's missile launch in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 3, 2009. South Korea said Friday it is closely monitoring North Korean military sites because the communist nation may fire more missiles, amid speculation that a long-range test launch aimed toward the U.S. is possible in coming days.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

(AP)

North Korea launched seven ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast Saturday in a show of military firepower that defied U.N. resolutions and drew international condemnation and concern. It also fired four short-range missiles Thursday believed to be cruise missiles.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency — citing a South Korean government source it did not identify — reported that five of the seven ballistic missiles landed in the same area, indicating their accuracy has improved.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said North Korea's capabilities were getting better.

"If you look at their most recent efforts, the most worrying thing is not their current capacity in terms of distance or scope but how they have improved," he told the Nine Network on Sunday.

"We have seen improvements regrettably in their technology and their approach," he said, emphasizing the latest missile tests were clearly a provocative act aimed at the U.S.

Saturday's launches on U.S. Independence Day appeared to be a slap at Washington as it moves to enforce U.N. as well as its own sanctions against the isolated regime for its May 25 nuclear test.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department policy, said the Defense Ministry was investigating the launches and it would take about a week to complete an analysis.

He also said no signs of additional missile launches had been detected, but more were possible given North Korea warned ships to stay away from the area through July 10.

North Korea's state news agency did not mention the launches. In Washington, the White House had no immediate comment.

South Korea said Saturday that the missiles likely flew more than 250 miles (400 kilometers), apparently landing in waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.