North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles toward sea, South Korea says

SEOUL: North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Saturday.

The missiles were launched from around 5:20 a.m. (2020 GMT on Friday) and flew about 250 km (155 miles), the JCS said in a statement, adding that South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of their specifications.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities had tracked and shared information on the launches from the outset, while information on the ballistic missiles was also shared with Japan, the JCS said.

“South Korea’s military is closely monitoring North Korean activity and maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation under its combined defence posture with the United States,” the JCS said in a statement.

South Korea’s presidential National Security Office convened an emergency security meeting involving the defence ministry, the JCS and other relevant agencies following the launch, the presidential office said.

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Officials reviewed the government’s response, assessed the impact of the launches on South Korea’s security and examined necessary measures, the presidential office said. It urged North Korea to immediately stop ballistic missile launches, calling them a serious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Separately, U.S. Pacific Command said it was aware of the launches and was consulting closely with allies and partners. It said the launches, based on its current assessment, did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory or allies.

“The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region,” it said in a post on X.

Last month, North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles and ordered its military to maintain full readiness during South Korea’s ongoing joint exercises with the United States.

Saturday’s launch came a day after South Korea, Japan and the U.S. concluded their joint military drills to test readiness against North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons threats.

Separately last month, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly scaled back military drills, which he described as hostile to Pyongyang, and said he expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.