The launch on Sunday was the latest in a series that also included an intermediate-range ballistic missile fired over Japan on Tuesday, which led to a warning for residents of nearby impacted areas to seek shelter, according to AFP.
Digital Desk: The South's military was quoted by the news agency AFP as saying that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the Sea on Sunday, the most recent in a string of launches amid concerns over US-led military drills in the area.
Without providing any other information, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean military stated that the launch—the seventh in the past two weeks—came from the southeast of the nation.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff reportedly stated, "While stepping up our monitoring and vigilance, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture in close coordination with the United States," according to reporting from Yonhap.
In response to days of joint military drills between the South, Japan, and the United States, North Korea on Saturday defended its recent flurry of missile testing as a legitimate response to US military threats.
At least one of Sunday's missiles was also confirmed on Twitter by the office of the Japanese prime minister.
"It appears that North Korea has fired a ballistic missile. More updates will come, "an official said.
According to Japanese Senior Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino, the missiles may have been launched from submarines as they went 350 kilometres at a maximum height of 100 kilometres and were fired just before 2:00 am (1700 GMT Saturday), according to AFP and Kyodo news agency.
According to the Japanese authorities, the missiles that were launched toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, appear to have landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. According to the coast guard, there have been no reports of damage to Japanese ships to date, according to national broadcaster NHK.
The Indo-Pacific Command of the US military stated in a statement that they were "informed of the two ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our friends and partners," adding that the launch demonstrates how "destabilising" North Korea's missile programme is.
The statement read, "The US pledges to the defence of Japan and the Republic of Korea are unwavering."
The launch on Sunday was the latest in a series that also included an intermediate-range ballistic missile fired over Japan on Tuesday, which led to a warning for residents of nearby impacted areas to seek shelter, according to AFP.
According to Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, the first missile had a flight range of around 350 kilometres (217 miles) at a maximum altitude of about 100 kilometres, while the second missile had a flight range of roughly 800 kilometres at a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometres.
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