Seoul: North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, prompting a high alert in Japan and South Korea.
“The missile launches may be a way of showing that – unlike Iran – we have self-defence capabilities,” South Korean former presidential security adviser Kim Ki-jung told Reuters.
The missiles were fired from near Sinpo on North Korea’s east coast toward the sea around 6:10 a.m. (2110 GMT on Saturday) and flew about 140 km (90 miles), South Korea’s military said in a statement, according to Reuters.
This comes days after the United Nations’ nuclear
watchdog warned that North Korea was making “very serious” advances in a bid to build nuclear weapon.
Japan activated its top-tier crisis management protocols for public safety and regional stability in the face of the renewed provocation, reported HT.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, wrote on X: “At around 06:00 today, what may be multiple ballistic missiles were launched from North Korea.”
“The items that may be ballistic missiles are believed to have already fallen outside Japan’s EEZ, and at present, Japan, the United States, and South Korea are closely coordinating to analyse information,” she writes further.
South Korea’s presidential office, according to Associated Press, said its National Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the launches.
These tests have occurred ahead of a planned summit in mid-May between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, where North Korea is expected to be a primary focus.