SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has issued a no-sail warning off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula in what may be preparations for a missile launch, a South Korean news report said on Friday.
Tensions between the two Koreas have grown since the South blamed the North of torpedoing one of its navy ships in March killing 46 sailors. The North denies involvement in the sinking, saying the accusation is a fabricated political ploy.
"North Korea has designated a north-west area of the (Yellow Sea) as a no-sail zone for June 19th to 27th," the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper quoted a government official as saying.
"This could be a measure aimed at launching a short range missile," the official said.
North Korea test launched a barrage of missiles last year including a long-range ballistic missile, defying calls by the South and the United Nations to halt them.
Analysts said the moves were aimed at boosting leader Kim Jong-il's political standing at home and were also military grandstanding intended to gain a better bargaining position as regional powers tried to coax Pyongyang back to nuclear negotiations.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
