North Korea on Monday fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast, Seoul’s military said, after weeks of mounting friction over a landmine explosion along the countries’ heavily fortified border.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed in a statement that it had detected several ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area, adding that its military “has stepped up surveillance and vigilance against possible additional launches”.
Japan’s Defence Ministry separately confirmed it had detected at least two suspected ballistic missile launches and assessed that the weapons had landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The launch followed Pyongyang’s test-firing of a ballistic missile earlier this month that it said incorporated artificial intelligence technology.