North Korea fires 8 short-range ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan
Seoul, Jun 5 (EFE).- North Korea launched eight short-range ballistic missiles Sunday into the Sea of Japan, South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that it was analyzing the incident.
The South Korean military said the shots were fired between 9:08 a.m. and 9:43 a.m. local time (0:08 a.m. and 0:43 a.m. GMT) from the Sunan area of the capital Pyongyang, according to the text.
“While our military strengthens vigilance against possible new launches, it maintains a fully prepared posture while closely cooperating with the United States,” the statement read.
South Korea’s National Security Council has called a meeting in response to the North Korean weapons test, the third since President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power on May 10.
Sunday’s is the 18th weapons test of these characteristics carried out by Pyongyang, which has a record number of tests so far this year, and comes after it fired what is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile and two short-range ballistic missiles on May 25.
That launch came just after United States President Joe Biden concluded his first Asian tour in Japan, which also took him to South Korea, where the international agenda was focused on addressing Pyongyang’s weapons challenges.
The North Korean missile launches come at a time of particular tension between North Korea, its neighboring countries and also with the US, whose denuclearization negotiations with the regime have been stalled since 2019.
The South Korean and US governments have also been pointing to an imminent nuclear test in Pionyang for weeks, which would have already completed preparations for it. EFE
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