Seoul: North Korea fired another unidentified projectile toward the East Sea on Sunday, just hours after launching one short-range ballistic missile, South Korea's military said. Details of the second missile launch were not immediately available.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the latest launch came shortly after the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected a short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area at around 3:00 p.m. This occurred days after Pyongyang vowed to take "responsive action" against ongoing U.S.-led military drills in the region. The first missile was reported to have flown about 450 kilometers, with further analysis underway to assess its exact specifications and other details.
The JCS confirmed that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities tracked and shared information from the initial launch stage, and also communicated details of the missile launch with Japan. "We are closely monitoring North Korea's various activities and maintain the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations, under the staunch South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture," added the JCS.
Sunday's missile activity follows a similar launch by North Korea about a week ago, where multiple short-range ballistic missiles were fired from the same region toward the East Sea on September 12. In a subsequent media dispatch, North Korea claimed responsibility for a firepower strike drill involving artillery and missile units, which featured new combat systems such as attack drones and tactical cruise missiles.
The recent launch also coincides with Pyongyang's increased criticism of regional military exercises involving Seoul, Washington, and Japan. Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the U.S.-led Pacific Vanguard maritime drills and pledged a proportional or more aggressive response. North Korea has consistently criticized the allies' joint drills, labeling them as rehearsals for invasion.
In response to the missile launch, South Korea's National Security Office (NSO) held an emergency security meeting with the defense ministry and the JCS to discuss the situation. "We assessed our response posture, analyzed and evaluated the impact the latest missile launch has on our national security and reviewed corresponding actions," the NSO stated. The office urged Pyongyang to halt such military actions, emphasizing that its ballistic missile launches violate U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting its nuclear and missile development.
In the previous missile launch, the missiles were identified as Hwasong-11 series short-range ballistic missiles, along with rounds fired from 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers.