South Korea’s military said North Korea tested ballistic missiles on Wednesday.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew east, the South Korean Yonhap news agency said they were launched toward the sea from North Korea’s east coast, without specifying where they fell.
What else do we know about North Korea’s latest missile launch?
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several short-range ballistic missiles launched from south of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, had been detected.
The South Korean military said the missiles flew about 350 kilometers (218 miles) to the northeast.
The presidential office in Seoul said a meeting of South Korea’s National Security Council had been called in view of the launch.
Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said none of the missiles had reached her country’s territorial waters and no damage was reported.
Takaichi said Tokyo is in close contact with Seoul and Washington.
This missile test took place before the planned visit of US President Donald Trump to South Korea.
Trump and other leaders including China’s Xi Jinping are set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Missile launch dashes hopes of thaw in relations between North and South
Pyongyang last launched ballistic missiles on May 8, when it fired several short-range projectiles off its east coast.
Wednesday’s launch is the first of its kind since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.
During his presidential campaign, Lee actively raised the need to stop hostile moves towards North Korea.
Lee also called for ushering in “a new era of peaceful coexistence” with North Korea in his first address to the UN General Assembly last month, and reiterated the need to continue working toward denuclearization while promoting inter-Korean cooperation.
Kim’s weapons testing
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen several weapons tests since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump failed in 2019.
Last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington dropped its demands for North Korea’s denuclearization, as Trump repeatedly expressed hope for a new round of diplomacy.
In August, Kim supervised the testing of two “new” air defense missiles, which coincided with joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.
Edited by: Carl Sexton