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North Korea has fired two projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast, including at least one ballistic missile, South Korea’s defence ministry has said, in the latest launch to heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The launches came days after Pyongyang reaffirmed its status as a nuclear-armed state and rejected a United Nations resolution calling for an end to its nuclear activities.
South Korea’s military said it detected the first launch at about 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) from an area near the city of Wonsan. The projectile travelled about 450 kilometres (280 miles) before landing in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
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“South Korean and US authorities are conducting a detailed analysis to determine exact specifications,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement after confirming the launch.
The second projectile was detected shortly after 6:00 pm, although South Korean authorities did not immediately provide further details.
Japan’s government said both projectiles were suspected to be ballistic missiles. Tokyo lodged a “stern protest” with Pyongyang, describing the launches as a threat to regional peace and security, according to Kyodo news agency.
South Korea’s presidential National Security Office held an emergency meeting following the first launch to assess the possible impact on national security. The government called on North Korea to “immediately cease” its missile activities, describing the latest firing as a “grave act” that violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Sunday’s launches followed a similar exercise eight days earlier, when North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea. Pyongyang said the drills involved long-range artillery and missiles, with state media reporting that the weapons had “hit the targets with 100 percent hit accuracy”.
The latest missile activity has coincided with renewed international criticism of North Korea’s nuclear programme. During the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference, Pyongyang accused “hostile forces” of attempting to end its nuclear programme.
A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson said an IAEA resolution demanding a halt to nuclear activities “has no effect on the DPRK’s position as a nuclear weapons state”, referring to the country’s official name.
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The spokesperson added that North Korea’s nuclear status was “guaranteed by the actual nuclear deterrent and irreversibly and permanently fixed by the supreme law of the state”.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has also described the country’s nuclear-armed status as “absolute”, while rejecting calls for denuclearisation.
Estimates of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal vary. Former US President Donald Trump said in August that Pyongyang possessed 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons, while South Korea has estimated the figure to be between 80 and 120.
