On Monday, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles towards the eastern maritime region, according to South Korea’s military. A Japanese government alert and the country’s coast guard confirmed that North Korea appeared to have launched a ballistic missile. NHK, a broadcaster, reported that the missile likely fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Japan’s NTV broadcaster said the projectile was a short-range ballistic missile, citing a Japanese government official.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North launched what it suspected to be several short-range ballistic missiles from near its capital, Pyongyang, without providing further details.
The reports of the launch came as South Korea said its top military officer, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, had hosted the commander of U.S. Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, on Monday to discuss the North’s reconnaissance satellite development and growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
After a summit between the two countries’ leaders in September, North Korea has been suspected of supplying arms and munitions to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, although both deny that claim.
The North is believed to be preparing to launch another spy satellite, after successfully putting a reconnaissance satellite in orbit in November. Last week, North Korea announced it had launched a strategic cruise missile with a large warhead and a new anti-aircraft missile as part of its tests. Earlier in April, the country also conducted a test of a new hypersonic missile, continuing its development of solid-fueled missiles across all ranges. North Korea has continued these activities despite a United Nations Security Council ban on developing ballistic missiles, which it rejects as an infringement on its sovereign right to self-defence.
With Inputs From Reuters
