North Korea has fired two short-range projectiles, South Korean officials confirmed on Wednesday.
North Korea “fired one unidentified projectile at 5:34 a.m. and the other at 5:57 a.m., from Wonsan areas into the East Sea, and they flew around 430 kilometers,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
(LEAD) N. Korea fires 2 unidentified projectiles into East Sea: JCS https://t.co/RcJAPb2zJe
— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) July 24, 2019
A U.S. defense official told CNN that upon an initial assessment, at least one unidentified “projectile” was fired, but noted that the launch is similar to North Korea’s launch of two short-range missiles in May.
BREAKING: North Korea has launched at least one short range projectile, according to an initial assessment described by a US defense official https://t.co/3eHB0TloYL pic.twitter.com/dM51fn7Irj
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 24, 2019
A South Korean JCS official told CNN, “Our military, in preparation for additional launches, is maintaining (its) readiness posture by monitoring related movements.”
The official added that the projectile was launched from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan.
On May 9, North Korea launched two short-range missiles from the Sino-ri missile base located in Kusong approximately 130 miles north of the South Korea border, with the first missile traveling 260 miles and the second 170 miles.
Less than a week prior, North Korea had launched a short-range missile, also from Wonsan, which flew toward the East Sea.
North Korea’s missile launches this summer are the first of their missile tests since 2017.
In April, North Korea also test-fired a “tactical guided weapon” into the East Sea.
Kim Jong Un reportedly called the test and new weapon system one of “very weighty significance in increasing the combat power” of North Korea. U.S. officials, however, confirmed it was not a missile.
