North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles, no damage reported
KYODO NEWS - 8 hours ago - 16:12 | World, All
North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, with no damage reported so far after the first such act by Pyongyang in almost two months.
The missiles were fired between 8:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. from the Wonsan area in the eastern part of the country, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding it detected launches of various types of short-range ballistic missiles from the area.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters in Tokyo that one of the missiles that was launched around 9:20 a.m. reached a maximum altitude of around 100 kilometers and may have flown on an irregular trajectory.
The projectiles are estimated to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone and no damage to ships or planes has been reported, Nakatani said, adding that Tokyo has lodged a stern protest with Pyongyang over the incident.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference that North Korea's missile development "threatens peace" and is "unacceptable."
The missiles flew as far as approximately 800 km before falling into the sea, the South Korean military said.
North Korea last launched missiles on March 10 toward the sea, hours after South Korea and the United States began their large-scale annual joint military exercise called Freedom Shield.
The latest missile activity by Pyongyang came as its military cooperates with Moscow in Russia's war against Ukraine and ahead of South Korea's June 3 presidential election to choose the successor to Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted from office last month over his short-lived declaration of martial law in December.
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