South Korea says North Korea fires multiple suspected short-range missiles
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (photo: Getty Images)
North Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles near its eastern coast, according to Reuters.
According to South Korean military sources, the probable missiles were launched on Thursday at 6:14 a.m. local time from the Sunan area near the capital, Pyongyang, and flew about 350 km before falling into the sea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that North Korea launched a ballistic missile that fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The agency added that during the latest launch, which was observed by neighbors, North Korea sent hundreds of balloons with trash and excrement across the well-fortified border into South Korea on Wednesday. This provoked an angry reaction from Seoul, which stated that this act was cowardly and dangerous.
Successful launch of a spy satellite
The launch occurred after North Korea suffered a failure on Monday, May 27, in an attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit, when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight. Following the failure, leader Kim Jong Un promised to never give up on space reconnaissance projects.
Last week, a representative of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the attempt to launch another military satellite using ballistic missile technology contradicts UN Security Council resolutions.
It is also reported by the media that in October, North Korea and Russia may be preparing a major military provocation shortly before the US presidential election scheduled for November 5.
