South Korea: North Korea launches several ballistic missiles into the eastern sea area

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said that at around 8:50 a.m. local time today, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area into the waters off the eastern part of the peninsula. The missiles flew a distance of 240 kilometers. South Korea and U.S. intelligence agencies are analyzing the specific parameters of the relevant missiles.

The day before, North Korea launched an unidentified aircraft from the Pyongyang area toward the east. After showing anomalous signs in the early stage of the launch, the aircraft disappeared. South Korea’s military believes the aircraft may have been a ballistic missile. Given that the previous launch appeared to have failed, North Korea may conduct missile test launches on two consecutive days. The Joint Chiefs said South Korean forces are strengthening monitoring and alertness to respond to another possible missile launch by North Korea. South Korea and the United States are maintaining close communication regarding information related to North Korea’s ballistic missiles and are keeping a full state of readiness.

This year, North Korea has already launched ballistic missiles on January 4, January 27, and March 14. If the aircraft launched the day before is ultimately determined to have been a ballistic missile, then this would mark North Korea’s fifth ballistic missile launch this year.