North Korea fires two short-range missiles projectile, says South Korean military
This comes weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test-firing of a new ‘tactical guided weapon’.
The South Korean military on Thursday said North Korea has fired two short-range missiles, The New York Times reported.
The projectiles were fired at 4.29 pm and 4.39 pm (around 1 pm Indian time) from the northwestern area of Kusong towards the east, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement, according to Yonhap News Agency. The missiles travelled 420 km and 270 lm before landing in the East Sea, they said.
This comes weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test-firing of a new “tactical guided weapon” with a “powerful warhead”.
“Our military has stepped up our surveillance and monitoring in preparation for possible additional launches by North Korea,” South Korea’s military said in a statement. “We remain fully prepared in close coordination with the United States.”
Japan said the two missiles had not landed in its territorial waters. “At the moment, we don’t see any situation that would immediately impact on Japan’s security,” Japan’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The South Korean military had initially said the missiles were fired from Sino-ri, where North Korea has a ballistic missile base. It later clarified that they had been fired from Kusong, a town north of Sino-ri, according to The New York Times.
The new launches coincided with the visit of US Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, to Seoul to discuss denuclearisation efforts, CNBC reported.
