North Korea launched several suspected short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, according to Asian media.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated on Monday that it detected the launches from North Korea’s capital region, but did not provide any additional details. The report added that South Korea had reinforced its surveillance and maintained a firm readiness in close co-operation with the United States and Japan.
Japan also confirmed the launches, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office instructing officials to maximise efforts at gathering information and ensuring the safety of aircraft and ships, according to a statement released on X.
North Korea maintained an accelerated pace of weapons tests in recent months as it continued to expand its military capabilities amid tensions with the US and South Korea.
Kim Jong Un’s country announced on Saturday that it tested a “super-large” cruise missile warhead and a new anti-aircraft missile in the western coastal region on Friday.
Earlier in April, North Korea also test-fired a so-called medium-range solid-fuel missile with a hypersonic warhead designed, experts said, to attack distant enemy targets in the US Pacific territory of Guam and beyond.
In response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threat, the United States and South Korea are stepping up their bilateral military exercises and trilateral drills with Japan. On Monday, the chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kim Myung-soo, met with US Space Command Commander, Stephen Newman Whiting, to discuss countering North Korean threats.
Some experts have previously suggested North Korea could launch major provocations, such as a banned satellite launch this month, to mark key state anniversaries.
South Korea’s military announced on Monday that it had found evidence that North Korea was preparing to launch a second spy satellite, but there was no indication that a launch would be imminent.
