A former North Korean missile expert who was placed under sanctions by the United Nations for his role in the country's nuclear and missile weapons program has died, state media said on Wednesday.
The announcement of Jon Pyong Ho's death came as North Korea launched short-range missiles into its eastern waters in the early hours of Wednesday.
The missiles, which an official of the South Korean joint chiefs of staff said appeared to be ballistic Scud-class, were launched from a province in western North Korea and flew about 500 km (310 miles) before falling into waters to the northeast.