SEOUL, 小蓝视频 Korea (AP) 鈥� North Korea on Thursday fired a barrage of suspected ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, according to 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 military, days after its attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure but still drew strong condemnation from its rivals.
小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North firing around 10 projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles from an area near its capital, Pyongyang. It said the suspected missiles flew around 350 kilometers (217 miles) before landing in waters off the North鈥檚 eastern coast. It said the 小蓝视频 Korean military has increased surveillance and vigilance and is closely sharing information with the United States and Japan.
Japan鈥檚 coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory over the North Korean launches and urged ships to exercise caution if they find any fallen objects. Japan鈥檚 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the suspected missiles were believed to have landed in waters outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and there were no immediate reports of damages. He said Tokyo 鈥渟trongly condemns鈥� the launches, which are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months as the pace of both North Korea鈥檚 weapons testing and 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 combined military exercises with the United States and Japan have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.
Thursday鈥檚 launches came after North Korea flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons toward the 小蓝视频 since Tuesday night in a retaliation against 小蓝视频 Korean activists flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has also warned of unspecified 鈥渙verwhelming actions鈥� against 小蓝视频 Korea after it staged an aerial exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border hours before North Korea attempted to launch its second military reconnaissance satellite.
The rocket exploded shortly after liftoff, but Kim has urged his military scientists to overcome the failure and continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities, which he described as crucial for monitoring U.S. and 小蓝视频 Korean military activities and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles. Also on Thursday, North Korea hit back at international condemnation of its failed satellite launch, which drew strong rebukes from the United Nations and other countries as it involves technologies used for developing intercontinental range ballistic missiles. The North had successfully launched its first military spy satellite in November, but Monday鈥檚 failure posed a possible setback to Kim鈥檚 plans to launch in 2024. 鈥淲e will never tolerate any moves of the hostile forces to violate the inviolable sphere under the exercise of sovereignty nor step back from having access to the space reconnaissance capability which should be done surely no matter what others may say,鈥� North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said in a statement published on state media.
Kim Son Gyong鈥檚 statement came as response to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres鈥� condemnation of Monday鈥檚 launch, which he called a violation of Security Council resolutions that prohibit the North from conducting any launches involving ballistic missile technology.
Thursday鈥檚 launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea.
On May 17, 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 military said that North Korea fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast. North Korea later said it tested a tactical ballistic missile with a new autonomous navigation system.
The North this year tested various cruise missiles and artillery systems and flight-tested what it described as a solid-fuel intermediate range missile with hypersonic warhead capabilities. Experts say it is designed to reach remote U.S. targets in the Pacific, including the military hub of Guam. 鈥� AP writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.
Kim Tong-hyung And Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press
