North Korea has fired multiple “projectiles” on Wednesday for the second time in a week.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch of “multiple unidentified projectiles” from North Korea’s eastern coastal Hodo peninsula, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency first reported.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff added that they are monitoring activities in the area in the event of further launches.
(LEAD) N. Korea fires multiple unidentified projectiles off east coast: JCS https://t.co/rRjcsTaqkY
— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) July 30, 2019
The launch comes less than a week after North Korea fired two projectiles into the East Sea.
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 Yonhap on July 24.
A U.S. defense official had told CNN last week 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.
South Korean and Japanese officials determined the launch consisted of two short-range ballistic missiles.
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.
