North Korea fires Scud-class ballistic missile, Japan protests

By Jack Kim and Ju-min ParkSEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired at least one short-range ballistic missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure and threats of more sanctions.The missile was believed to be a Scud-class ballistic missile and flew about 450 km (280 miles), South Korean officials said.North Korea has a large stockpile of the short-range missiles, originally developed by the Soviet Union.