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North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters on Monday, South Korea’s military said, in the latest weapons demonstration amid heightened regional tensions and a prolonged diplomatic stalemate.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from an area near Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The military did not immediately disclose the number of missiles detected or the distances they travelled.
Japan’s Defence Ministry said it had detected at least two missiles and assessed that they had landed in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The launch came days after South Korea flight-tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon on Friday.
Designed to travel at least five times the speed of sound and evade missile defence systems, the weapon was described by President Lee Jae Myung as an important step towards strengthening the country’s conventional defence capabilities.
North Korea has stepped up weapons testing as it seeks to expand its arsenal of nuclear-capable systems. On October 3, Pyongyang tested what it described as a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defences in South Korea and Japan.
The country has also conducted other missile tests and live-fire drills and commissioned a new warship as leader Kim Jong Un continues to advance the country’s nuclear weapons programme while rejecting US and South Korean offers to resume stalled diplomacy.
Tensions have also risen following landmine explosions near the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas last month that injured three South Korean soldiers.
South Korea’s military and the US-led United Nations Command concluded that the blasts were caused by mines planted by North Korea. Pyongyang has denied responsibility and dismissed Seoul’s demands for an apology.
Kim has halted diplomacy and cooperation with South Korea in recent years, describing the neighbouring country as a permanent enemy. Negotiations with Washington have also remained stalled since 2019.
North Korea has rejected US President Donald Trump’s calls to revive dialogue, demanding that Washington abandon its “hostile” policy and drop denuclearisation demands as a precondition for talks.
The tensions have complicated South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s efforts to pursue engagement with Pyongyang. Lee has softened his rhetoric towards the North while also calling for stronger conventional defence capabilities and reduced reliance on the United States.
In August, Washington unilaterally decided to scale back a major military exercise with South Korea, with Trump citing his “very good relationship” with Kim.
Source : Anadolu