North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Munchon area of Kangwon Province to the waters off the peninsula’s eastern coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff have told reporters.
The missiles were launched between 1:47 am. and 1:53am local time Sunday, according to Japan’s State Minister of Defence Toshiro Ino.
Both missiles fell outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Ino added.
The first missile is estimated to have flown about 350 kilometres at a maximum altitude of approximately 100km, or 62 miles, according to Ino. The second travelled about the same distance.
Ino noted there were no reports of damages to vessels at sea, but the defence ministry is still analyzing the details and investigating what kind of missiles were launched, including the possibility they were submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
South Korea’s military has strengthened its surveillance and vigilance and maintaining a full readiness posture while closely cooperating with the US, the country’s joint chiefs of staff said.
This is the 25th missile launch this year, according to CNN’s count, which includes both ballistic and cruise missiles. The last launch occurred Thursday when North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, the latest in a spate of launches in the past two weeks.
Japan’s Coast Guard instructed vessels to pay attention to information and to not approach any objects which have fallen in the sea. It also asked vessels to report any relevant information.
The missile travelled over northern Japan early in the morning, and is believed to have landed in the Pacific Ocean. The last time North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan was in 2017.
Read Related Also: Urvashi Rautela Plastic Surgery Before And After: No Makeup Look Viral On Tiktok
US Indo-Pacific Command said Saturday the latest launches do “not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies.”
“We are aware of the two ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the command said in a statement. “The missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs. The US commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned if North Korea continues “down this road” of provocation following its ballistic missile launch Tuesday, “it will only increase the condemnation, increase the isolation and increase the steps that are taken in response to their actions.”
The US imposed new sanctions Friday, following North Korean recent ballistic missile tests, the US Treasury and State Department said.
North Korea usually fires its missiles into waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, making Tuesday’s flight over Japan considerably more provocative.
The aggressive acceleration in weapons testing has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises. The US has also redeployed an aircraft carrier into waters near the peninsula, a move South Korean authorities called “very unusual.”
Japan issued a strong protest against North Korea through its embassy in Beijing, Ino said.
On Thursday, US, South Korean and Japanese warships performed a missile defence exercise in the Sea of Japan, the US-Indo Pacific Command said in a statement.
