North Korea has fired ten ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan as joint US-South Korean military exercises are underway.
North Korea fired about ten ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced. A few days ago, Pyongyang warned of “serious consequences” if its security was threatened during ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. TASR informs about it based on the AFP report.
The South Korean military recorded “approximately ten ballistic missiles fired from the Sunan area (near Pyongyang) in North Korea towards the Sea of Japan at approximately 1:20 p.m. local time,” the JCS said in a statement.
Rocket parameters
According to him, the rockets flew a distance of approximately 350 kilometers. Their exact parameters are now being analyzed by South Korean and American authorities. At the same time, the South Korean military emphasized that it is ready to “decisively respond to any provocation.”
The launch of several rockets was also confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of Japan. According to Tokyo, the missiles reached a maximum height of about 80 kilometers and landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone off the east coast of the Korean peninsula.
Seoul and Washington react
The presidential office in Seoul condemned the attack as “a provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions” and called on Pyongyang to stop such actions immediately. At the same time, he ordered the relevant institutions to increase alertness.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this week oversaw another test of strategic missiles launched from the Cho Hyon-class warship.
The US and South Korea launched an 11-day exercise called Freedom Shield on Monday. Pyongyang has long criticized these maneuvers as preparation for an invasion of North Korea.
