North Korea fires ballistic missiles, says Seoul

North Korea test fired ballistic missiles on Wednesday, South Korea’s military has said.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew east, with the South Korean Yonhap news agency saying it was launched toward the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan) off North Korea’s east coast, without specifying where they had landed.

What else do we know about the latest missile launch from North Korea?

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said multiple short-range ballistic missiles, which were launched from an area to the south of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, had been detected.

The South Korean military said the missiles flew around 350 kilometres (218 miles) in a northeastern direction.

A meeting of South Korea’s national security council has been convened in the wake of the launch, the presidential office in Seoul said.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that none of the missiles had reached her country’s territorial waters, and that no damage has been reported.

Takaichi added that Tokyo was in close communication with Seoul and Washington.

The missile tests come ahead of a planned visit to South Korea by US President Donald Trump.

Trump and other leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, are set to be attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Missile launch dampens hopes of thaw in relations between North and South

Pyongyang last launched ballistic missiles on May 8, when it fired several short-range projectiles from its east coast.

Wednesday’s launch is the first of its kind since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.

During his presidential campaign, Lee proactively brought up the necessity of halting hostile moves toward North Korea.

Lee even talked up ushering in “a new era of peaceful coexistence” with North Korea in his first address at the UN General Assembly last month, reiterating the need to continue working toward denuclearisation while fostering inter-Korean cooperation.

Kim’s weapons tests

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a number of weapons tests since since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019.

Last month Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington drops its demand for a denuclearisation of North Korea, after Trump repeatedly expressed hopes for a new round of diplomacy.

In August, Kim supervised a test firing of two “new” air defence missiles, which coincided with joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.