North Korea conducted a ballistic missile test on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew east, and South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said they were launched into the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan) off North Korea’s east coast, without specifying where they had landed.
What else do we know about North Korea’s latest missile launch?
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said multiple short-range ballistic missiles had been detected, which were launched from an area south of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.
The South Korean military said the missiles flew about 350 kilometers (218 miles) in a northeasterly direction.
A meeting of South Korea’s national security council was convened following the launch, the presidential office in Seoul said.
Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said none of the missiles had reached her country’s territorial waters and no damage had been reported.
Takaichi added that Tokyo was in close communication with Seoul and Washington.
The missile tests come ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to South Korea.
Trump and other leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, will attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Missile launch dashes hopes of a thaw in North-South relations
Pyongyang last launched ballistic missiles on May 8, when it fired several short-range projectiles from 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 proactively raised the need to stop hostile moves toward North Korea.
Lee even spoke of ushering in “a new era of peaceful coexistence” with North Korea in his first speech at the UN General Assembly last month, reiterating the need to continue working toward denuclearization while fostering inter-Korean cooperation.
Kim’s weapons tests
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a series of weapons tests since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019.
Last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington drops its demand for North Korea’s denuclearization, after Trump repeatedly expressed hopes for a new round of diplomacy.
In August, Kim oversaw a test launch of two “new” air defense missiles, which coincided with joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
