The launches have poured cold water on the South Korean government’s hopes of an improvement in relations between the two countries.
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea on April 8, South Korea’s military said, extending a series of tests that have dampened Seoul’s hopes for easing tensions between the two nations.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said its neighbor unleashed an unidentified missile at around 2:20 p.m. on April 8 from the Wonsan area toward waters off its eastern coast, South Korean news agency Yonhap reports. It flew about 435 miles.
Earlier the same day, Pyongyang fired several unidentified short-range ballistic missiles from around the same area, the JCS added.
Those missiles flew about 150 miles, the JCS said, adding that South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of the situation.
South Korea’s military also said it had detected the launch of a suspected ballistic missile from near Pyongyang on April 7.
“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a robust South Korea–U.S. combined defense posture and maintains the capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation in an overwhelming manner,” the JCS said, according to Yonhap.
U.S. Forces Korea said it is aware of the launches and is consulting with allies and partners.
“Based on current assessments, these events do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies. The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region,” it said in a statement.
The presidential Blue House in Seoul convened an emergency National Security Council meeting on April 8, calling the earlier launches a provocation that violated U.N. Security Council resolutions, and urging Pyongyang to end such tests.
Pyongyang rejects the U.N. ban, saying it infringes its sovereign right to self-defense.
The Japanese coast guard said the latest missile fell into the sea about 10 minutes after launch. Tokyo’s Ministry of Defense said that no missiles entered its territorial waters or exclusive economic zone.
Pyongyang’s actions “threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community,” the ministry added.
By Guy Birchall
