North Korea fires two ballistic missiles in three hours: South Korean military

North Korea yesterday launched two missiles off its eastern coast, its second set of tests in about a week and days after Pyongyang accused the US of driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military drills.

Just three hours after launching a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan (known as the “East Sea” in South Korea and the “East Sea of Korea” in North Korea) yesterday afternoon, North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said.

If the subsequent launch is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it would mark two consecutive ballistic missile tests by North Korea within a three-hour window.

People at a train station in Seoul yesterday sit near a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test.

Photo: AFP

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the first test firing from the Wonsan area at about 3pm, identifying the weapon as a ballistic missile.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense also said it appeared to be a ballistic missile.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the projectile had come down outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The first projectile flew approximately 450km and is presumed to belong to the Hwasong-11 series, the South Korean military said.

The second short-range missile, which was also fired from Wonsan at about 5:50pm, flew more than 600km, it said.

“South Korean and US intelligence authorities have been tracking and sharing related developments from the initial stage of the launch, and have also shared information regarding the ‘North Korean ballistic missile’ with Japan,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The South Korean National Security Council condemned the short-range missile launch, which follows a test on Sept. 12. The council urged Pyongyang to immediately cease missile activity, warning the test directly contravened UN Security Council resolutions.

Japan also lodged a protest through embassy channels in Beijing, a Nikkei report said.

“This series of North Korean actions threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi was quoted as saying by Nikkei.

On Saturday, North Korea dismissed a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog against Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

Pyongyang last week also condemned a US-led naval drill which included South Korea and Japan and which ran from Aug. 29 to Sept. 10 near Guam.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, on Friday blamed US-led military drills for “ever-worsening” tensions on the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country’s course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.