North Korea launches two short-range ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan

Seoul, Aug 31 (EFE).- North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan – known in Korea as the East Sea – the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday.

The Japanese government also confirmed the launch.

“Our military detected two short-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea from the Sunan area (where the international airport of Pyongyang is located) into the East Sea between 23.40 and 23.50 yesterday (15.40-15.50 GMT), Wednesday, August 30,” said a statement from the JCS.

The projectiles flew about 360 kilometers (223 miles) before falling into the water, the JCS added, which indicated that South Korean and US authorities were monitoring the situation and analyzing the available data.

The North Korean launch comes after the US deployed a B-1 strategic bomber to the Korean peninsula as part of its major joint Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) maneuvers with South Korea.

The missile launch was also in response “to what North Korea claims was a space rocket launch,” the South Korean Defense Ministry said.

On Aug. 24, Pyongyang fired a Chollima-1 rocket in an unsuccessful attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit for the second time this year, something that the allies consider a covert test of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology, which the North Korean regime is prohibited from by UN Security Council resolutions.

Last week North Korea already warned the allies at the kickoff of the UFS drills that the execution of such maneuvers could end up triggering a “thermonuclear war”.

Following the failure of the denuclearization dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang in 2019, the peninsula has once again become the scene of a persistent military escalation, with Kim Jong-un’s regime repeatedly testing missiles and the allies conducting major war exercises and periodically deploying strategic material from the Pentagon. EFE

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