South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the missiles were fired from the Sunan area of the capital, Pyongyang, and flew toward waters off the North’s eastern coast between 6am and 7am on Wednesday. They said that one – thought to be an intercontinental ballistic missile – had flown 360km (223 miles) at a maximum altitude of 540km (335 miles).
Japanese officials said the missiles appeared to have landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone, adding that there had been no reports of damage to ships or aircraft so far, The Guardian reported.
South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, condemned the tests after a meeting of the National Security Council on Wednesday. Yoon’s office said he and officials had described the missile launches as a “grave provocation that violates UN security council resolutions, raises tensions on the Korean peninsula and in north-east Asia and threatens international peace, and strongly condemned them”.
Yoon, who was sworn in earlier this month, has vowed to get tough with Pyongyang after five years of failed diplomacy.
The Yonhap news agency said South Korea’s military had mobilised around 30 F-15K fighter planes in response to the launches.
Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said North Korea’s recent actions, including its ballistic missile launches, “threaten the peace, stability and safety of Japan and the international community and are not acceptable,” according to the Kyodo news agency.
MA/PR