North Korea test-fires missile

North Korea test-fired a short-range missile on Monday, the same day it announced the death of its leader Kim Jong-Il, according to reports in the South Korean media. A South Korean official, who declined to be named, however, told Yonhap news agency that the launch was likely unrelated to Kim’s death, Reuters reports. North Korea is thought to have launched the missile in the morning, before the announcement of the supreme leader’s passing. The country routinely test-fires missiles. Such launches, however, are sometimes tied to sensitive political developments.

Reuters