By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee
The US Pacific Command, in a statement, said it was aware of the two ballistic missiles launched, but the event posed no immediate threat to US personnel, territory or allies. Last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country’s first test-firing of a hypersonic missile, a rare public showcasing of a missile test by a South Korean president. The ballistic missiles, which appeared to be of different types, were fired at around 9:20 a.m. local time from near Pyongyang, and one type flew more than 900 km , South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Earlier, Japan’s coast guard said North Korea had fired two unidentified projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, adding that both appeared to have already fallen. “We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the statement said. Monday’s missile launches by North Korea appeared to be “a show of force in response to the successful test launch of our hypersonic missile, as well as an intentional demonstration of missile capabilities,” a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The unusually frequent tests indicate Pyongyang wanted to increase its leverage ahead of a potential summit between leader Kim and US President Donald Trump, said Song Seong-jong, a professor at Daejeon University in Seoul and a former South Korean Defence Ministry official.
SEOUL, – North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, marking Pyongyang’s fourth launch in a month and following Seoul’s recent test of a hypersonic missile.
