North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, marking Pyongyang’s fourth missile launch in a month amid rising tensions between the two Koreas.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles, which appeared to be of different types, were launched from near Pyongyang at about 9:20 a.m. local time (0020 GMT). One type travelled more than 900 kilometres.
Japan’s coast guard earlier reported the launch of two unidentified projectiles believed to be ballistic missiles, adding that both appeared to have already fallen.
South Korea’s National Security Office convened an emergency meeting following the launches, condemning them as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and urging Pyongyang to halt such activities immediately.
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North Korea has been subject to UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
The latest launches come amid heightened tensions between the two countries following a series of weapons tests.
Last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country’s first test-firing of a hypersonic missile, an unusual public demonstration of the country’s weapons capabilities by a sitting president.
A spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff described Monday’s launches as an apparent show of force in response to Seoul’s successful hypersonic missile test and an attempt by Pyongyang to demonstrate its missile capabilities.
North Korea last launched a ballistic missile on October 3, when its state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported a hypersonic missile test supervised by leader Kim Jong Un.
The latest tests also follow a border mine explosion last month that wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul accused Pyongyang of planting the landmines and demanded an apology, but North Korea rejected the accusation and blamed South Korea for provoking tensions.
Pyongyang has conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions this year, including four in the past month.
Song Seong-jong, a professor at Daejeon University in Seoul and a former South Korean Defence Ministry official, said the increased frequency of the tests could be aimed at strengthening North Korea’s position ahead of a possible summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
“They definitely need to raise the value of their status before meeting Trump,” Song said.
