A missile was launched by North Korea into the Sea of Japan on Monday morning, following recent military exercises conducted by the US and its southern neighbor, which North Korea considers to be provocative.
According to Japan's Defense Ministry, North Korea launched a total of three missiles. The first two were fired simultaneously at 7:44 a.m., followed by the third missile approximately 37 minutes later.
Japan Confirms North Korea's Latest Missile Tests
In a parliamentary session, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida informed that the North Korean missiles landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. Fortunately, no damage or injuries have been reported.
During a conference in Seoul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken witnessed North Korea's recent missile testing activities, marking their first known launches in about a month.
Experts had previously anticipated that North Korea would continue conducting missile tests and escalate its aggressive rhetoric leading up to the US presidential election in November, to strengthen its position in future diplomatic negotiations.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea have confirmed the occurrence of a missile launch. However, they have not provided any further information regarding the distance covered by the weapon. According to a report from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, it was revealed that the North had fired additional short-range ballistic missiles from North Hwanghae Province.
On Sunday, North Korea conducted missile tests, which were the first ones since it launched cruise missiles in mid-February.
Amidst the South Korea-US military drills that concluded on Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a range of military training exercises, which included tanks, artillery guns, and paratroopers.
However, the North refrained from conducting any missile tests while its rivals were engaged in training. The Korean Peninsula continues to experience heightened tensions following a series of missile tests conducted by North Korea since 2022.
Several tests were conducted using missiles with nuclear capabilities, specifically intended for targeting South Korea and the mainland US. The US and South Korean forces have taken steps to enhance their training exercises.
Summit for Democracy
Over the weekend, the South Korean military conducted exercises involving marines, attack helicopters, and amphibious assault vehicles. The drills were designed to increase troop presence and strengthen western islands near the sea border with North Korea. In 2010, the islands were subjected to shelling.
Blinken is one of the senior officials from various countries who will be attending the Summit for Democracy conference, set to commence on Monday. In addition, he is scheduled to have a meeting with the foreign minister of South Korea, Cho Tae-yul.
The summit is an attempt led by US President Joe Biden to address the pressing issue of democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms on a global scale.
During its most recent ballistic launch on January 14, North Korea successfully tested a new booster engine and a maneuverable warhead by firing what it claimed to be an intermediate-range hypersonic missile powered by solid fuel. One month later, a series of cruise missiles were launched off the country's east coast, with claims of a new anti-ship missile being among them, Reuters reported.
