South Korean missiles point skyward, displayed at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul on June 4, 2009. North Korea test-fired seven missiles off its east coast. North Korea test-fired seven missiles off its east coast, South Korean officials said, in what appeared to be a calculated message of defiance timed for the US Independence Day holiday. The launches fuelled regional tensions after the communist state's nuclear test in May, which coincided with the US Memorial Day holiday.