North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Munchon area of Kangwon Province to the waters off the peninsula’s eastern coast.
The launch came a day after South Korea and the United States concluded their latest naval drills in the region. Pyongyang had also warned that the redeployment of a US aircraft carrier near the Korean peninsula was inflaming regional tensions.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired the two missiles from the southeastern coastal city of Munchon early on Sunday. The first was fired at about 1:47 am local time (16:47 GMT) and the second about six minutes later.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement “strongly condemned” the launches and called them a “serious provocation” that harms peace and safety.
“North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launch is a serious provocation that harms peace and safety of the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community, and it is also a clear violation of the UNSC resolution,” the joint chiefs said.
The Japanese vice defense minister, Toshiro Ino, said the North’s testing activities are “absolutely unacceptable” as they threaten regional and international peace and security.
The latest missile launch marks North Korea’s 25th missile launch this year, which includes both ballistic and cruise missiles, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.