North Korea has fired five short-range missiles off its east coast. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North has also declared a 'no sail' zone in the area from October 10-20. The latest launches, the first in about three months, come as Pyongyang has said it is ready to return to international talks on its nuclear weapons program, though it has insisted it holds talks first with the United States. <br/><br/>It was not clear whether these were routine military exercises. But they coincided with local media reports that the United States is planning to send its aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the South Korean port of Busan tomorrow.<br/>