This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
North Korea fired several rounds of short-range ballistic missiles toward its east coast on Monday, according to South Korea’s military, three days after Pyongyang launched a strategic cruise missile to test a large warhead.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected what appeared to be several short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang region at 3:01 p.m
“The North Korean missiles flew about 300 kilometers [186 miles] and splashed into the sea,” the JCS said in a text message to reporters, without providing further details.
Denouncing the North’s missile launch as “a clear provocation” that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, the JCS added it is closely working with the U.S. and Japan, while maintaining heightened vigilance against additional launches.
The Japanese government also announced that the ballistic missile, which is estimated to have a range of 250 kilometers and a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers, landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula.
“North Korea’s actions, including its repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of Japan and the regional and international community,” Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, said at a regular press conference on the same day.
“These launches are in violation of relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and a serious matter of concern for the safety of our people,” he added.
The reports of the launch came as Seoul said its top military officer, Adm. Kim Myung-soo, had hosted the commander of U.S. Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, on Monday to discuss the North’s reconnaissance satellite development and growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
North Korea has been accused of providing weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine after a summit between the leaders of the two nations in September of last year, though both reject the accusation.
Monday’s launch comes three days after Pyongyang test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead.
The North said it conducted a “super-large warhead” power test for a strategic cruise missile and test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile in the Yellow Sea on Friday.
