North Korea on Wednesday test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles from its eastern coast, South Korea’s military said, according to Reuters.
The launches took place a day before the United States Vice President Kamala Harris’ scheduled visit to the South Korean capital of Seoul.
The missiles were launched from the Sunan area of the North Korean capital Pyongyang between 6.10 pm and 6.20 pm (2.40 pm to 2.50 pm according to Indian Standard Time), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. They flew about 360 kilometres, reached an altitude of 30 kilometres and had a maximum velocity of Mach 6, or 7,450 kilometres per hour.
“North Korea’s provocations will further strengthen the South Korean-US deterrence and response capability, and only deepen North Korea’s isolation from the international community,” the joint chiefs of staff said, according to Reuters.
After the launches, South Korea’s national security council held an emergency meeting. It condemned the launches and vowed to build an overwhelming capacity to deter North Korea, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s office said.
Japan’s Vice Defence Minister Toshiro Ino said that the country’s military also detected the launches and that the missiles took an irregular trajectory, the Associated Press reported. “North Korea’s repeated missile firings amid [Russia’s] invasion of Ukraine is impermissible,” he said.
North Korea fired the two ballistic missiles two days after South Korea and the United States carried out a military drill in waters off the former country’s east coast. On Sunday, Pyongyang fired another ballistic missile toward the sea from its east coast.
Harris will land in Seoul on Thursday. After meeting the top officials, she is slated to visit the heavily fortified demilitarized zone between South Korea and its northern neighbour.
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