North Korea on Saturday morning launched three new short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, all a day after Seoul successfully conducted a solid-fueled space launch.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported detecting three projectiles fired by North Korea from Junghwa County in North Hwanghae at around 8 a.m. local time, Yonhap news agency reported.
Junghwa County is about 60 kilometers south of Pyongyang, and there have been few reports of ballistic missile-related activities from that area.
However, the South Korean military is still analyzing the specifics of the launches for flight distance, altitude and speed of the missiles, although they have already condemned Pyongyang’s actions.
«Our Armed Forces maintain a full readiness posture while closely cooperating with the U.S. and strengthening surveillance and vigilance,» the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The launch by North Korea comes eight days after it fired two short-range solid-propellant ballistic missiles (SRMB) from Pyongyang province.
Also, on December 25, five drones invaded South Korean airspace, one of them reaching as far north as Seoul and then returning.
So far this year, North Korea has fired around 70 ballistic missiles. Including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and three cruise missiles, the agency has counted.
This new test by Pyongyang further escalates tensions in the region after North Korea has in recent weeks launched dozens of ballistic missiles in tests banned by UN Security Council resolutions, in response to US-North Korean military maneuvers it considers an invasion rehearsal.
The United States, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has shared its evidence that North Korea is «likely» to conduct a nuclear missile test, its first since 2017, after noting an escalation of tension in recent weeks.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
