North Korea has fired two more missiles, both of which ended up in the sea. Neighboring South Korea and Japan reacted fiercely. South Koreans say they were short-range missiles.
According to the South Korean military, two rockets were fired from the eastern coastal town of Munchon in North Korea early Sunday morning. They flew some 350 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of between 90 and 100 kilometers before landing in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino called the launches “absolutely unacceptable” as they threaten regional and international peace and security. According to Ino, it could be missiles fired from submarines. “We are still investigating the details, including the possibility that they were launched from the sea,” said Ino.
Eight launches
North Korea has now completed eight missile launches in just two weeks. On Tuesday, the communist regime in Pyongyang fired a missile that flew over Japanese territory, triggering an air raid siren in certain areas. The US, South Korea and Japan then responded with their own missile tests and military exercises in the air. But North Korea responded with new missiles and imitating bombings. South Korea and the United States then began new military exercises on Friday, this time at sea. North Korea views US-South joint operations as an invasion exercise.
North Korea therefore calls the recent missile launches self-defense against “military threats” from the United States. According to the regime, the launches have not affected the security of neighboring countries and aviation in the region, a statement from state news agency KCNA said.
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