South Korea’s military said Sunday that North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea. The launch was also picked up by Japan, which has been witnessing a series of recent weapons tests by Pyongyang.
The first launch from the Wonsan region was spotted by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff around 3 p.m. local time.
The missile flew some 450 kilometers before veering off towards the North Korean east coast waters. South Korean authorities suspect that it could be part of the Hwasong-11 series.
The Defense Ministry in Japan said the projectile fell outside Japan’s territorial waters. Japanese officials also estimated the missile was a ballistic missile and a report quoted by Reuters stated that it landed outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Another projectile was fired from North Korea’s east coast about three hours after the launch. South Korea confirmed the second launch, but was not yet able to determine the type of weapon used or give details of its flight.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials were monitoring the launches and providing it to Japan. Meanwhile, Seoul has increased its vigilance amid the situation on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea’s National Security Council denounced the ballistic missile firing and appealed to Pyongyang to halt its such activity. North Korea’s ballistic missile launches are in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, said Seoul.
The new launch follows North Korea’s firing of several short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan region about a week ago on September 12.
The previous launches were believed to have been in reaction to a trilateral military exercise by South Korea, the United States and Japan, Yonhap said.
Pyongyang also has condemned a U.S.-led naval drill involving South Korea and Japan. The Pacific Vanguard exercise was a multi-partner country drill that was conducted from August 29 through September 10 off Guam.
Such exercises have been described as provocative by North Korean officials on numerous occasions.
Despite signs from Washington that it is interested in reopening talks with North Korea, tensions have remained high. U.S. President Donald Trump has recently reduced a joint military drill with South Korea, but Pyongyang has persisted with its weapons tests, AP reported.
North Korea has also defied a U.N. nuclear watchdog resolution on its nuclear programme. The announcement was issued ahead of the launch scheduled for Sunday, which will be the first test of a solid-fuel engine since Kim Jong Un’s sister and senior official Kim Yo Jong lashed out at U.S.-led military operations in the area.
The recent launches are the latest in North Korea’s recent efforts to show off its missile and military prowess. South Korean and U.S. officials continue to investigate the launches, and it is unclear what type of second projectile it was.
