North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles Into East Sea
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, September 20, South Korea’s military said, marking the country’s second missile test in about a week.
The two launches were detected about three hours apart from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s eastern coast, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The first missile was launched at about 3 p.m. local time and traveled approximately 450 kilometers toward the East Sea. A second missile was launched from the same area at around 5:50 p.m. and flew more than 600 kilometers, South Korea’s military said.
South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing the second missile to determine its exact specifications. South Korea said its military, along with U.S. authorities, had been tracking the launches and sharing information with Japan.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also detected a suspected North Korean ballistic missile. Japanese authorities said the projectile did not land in Japan’s territorial waters, while reports indicated it fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
South Korea condemns launches
South Korea’s presidential National Security Office held an emergency security meeting following the first launch and reviewed its impact on national security.
The South Korean government called on North Korea to immediately stop its ballistic missile launches, describing them as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Japan also lodged a diplomatic protest over the launches.
The tests came after North Korea criticized recent U.S.-led military exercises involving South Korea and Japan. North Korean official Kim Yo Jong has also warned that Pyongyang could respond to what it describes as hostile military activity.
The latest launches were North Korea’s first ballistic missile launches in eight days. On September 12, the country fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.
The United States said the latest launches did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to its allies, while Washington continued consultations with South Korea and Japan.