Seoul, April 19 (IANS) North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea’s military said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles launched from the Sinpho area in the North at around 6:10 a.m., and they flew about 140 kilometres.
“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a robust South Korea-US combined defence posture and maintains the capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation in an overwhelming manner,” the JCS said.
South Korean and US intelligence authorities have tracked movements related to the launch and have also shared relevant information with the Japanese side, it added.
The military is reportedly considering the possibility of the latest launch involving a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), reports Yonhap news agency.
Submarine-related facilities are known to be located in Sinpho, with the Hero Kim Kun Ok and the 8.24 Yongung submarines previously spotted at the eastern coastal city. The North test-fired an SLBM in waters off Sinpho in May 2022.
North Korea last fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on April 8, in a rare pair of launches conducted in a single day. The North also fired an unidentified projectile the previous day, but it disappeared shortly after it was fired in an apparent failure.
Following the series of launches over two days, North Korea’s state media said the North test-fired a tactical ballistic missile tipped with a cluster bomb warhead, claiming it can “reduce to ashes any target” within its range with the highest-density power.
State media also reported Pyongyang conducted tests of an electromagnetic weapon system and carbon fibre sham bombs scattering while verifying the combat reliability of a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system, raising views that the latest launch may be part of such weapons tests.
Following the launch, the presidential Office of National Security convened an emergency meeting and condemned it as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, calling for an immediate halt.
The defence ministry also issued a similar statement, urging the North to halt such missile provocations.
“North Korea should immediately halt consecutive missile provocations that heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula and actively take part in our government’s efforts to establish peace,” it said.
–IANS
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