(Seoul) North Korea fired two ballistic missiles on Monday, the South Korean military reported, the latest in a series of tests carried out by Pyongyang that infuriated Seoul.
A first short-range projectile was launched early in the morning, then a second unidentified one was detected ten minutes later, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff explained in a statement.
“Our military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance in preparation for further launches,” the same source said, adding that he had passed on information about the incidents to the United States and Japan.
The launches come days after North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a multiple-warhead missile, with South Korea saying the projectile exploded in flight.
Relations between the two Koreas are currently at their lowest point in years, with Pyongyang intensifying its weapons testing while sending garbage-filled balloons south in retaliation for propaganda campaigns against the North Korean regime by Korea from South.
At the end of June, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington conducted three days of joint military exercises, denounced on Sunday by Pyongyang which described them as “the Asian version of NATO”, warning of “fatal consequences”.
North Korea systematically criticizes this type of military maneuvers which it considers to be rehearsals before an invasion of its territory.
South Korea, for its part, said on Sunday that these were just regular defensive exercises.