North Korea fired two missiles into the East Sea on Sunday, with the launches taking place within hours of each other, multiple news agencies reported.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff identified the weapon as a ballistic missile, while Japan’s Defence Ministry also said it appeared to be a ballistic missile, Reuters reported. The Prime Minister’s Office of Japan issued three directives in response to the launch: to make maximum efforts to gather and analyse information, ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels and other assets, and take all possible precautionary measures, including preparedness for contingencies. The exercise involved long-range artillery and missiles.
South Korea detected the first launch from the Wonsan area at around 3 p.m. local time (0600 GMT).
“Our military detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea towards the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said following the first launch. “South Korean and US authorities are conducting a detailed analysis to determine… exact specifications,” it said. The office of the Japanese prime minister said on X that both projectiles were suspected to be ballistic missiles. North Korean state media said the weapons were “hitting the targets with 100 percent hit accuracy”. A foreign ministry spokesperson said the IAEA resolution “has no effect on the DPRK’s position as a nuclear weapons state”, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name.
Japan’s Prime Minister instructed authorities to step up information gathering and analysis after North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile from its eastern coast on Sunday.
