North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday, neighboring countries reported, marking the latest in a string of weapons tests this year.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches occurred Sunday morning from the North’s eastern Sinpo area. Seoul said it has bolstered surveillance and is closely sharing information with the United States and Japan. South Korea’s presidential office said the National Security Council will convene an emergency meeting to review the launches.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also detected the launches and assessed the missiles likely fell into waters off North Korea’s east coast. Tokyo lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang, saying the launches threaten regional and international peace and violate U.N. Security Council resolutions that bar North Korea’s ballistic missile activities.
The tests follow recent North Korean statements that leader Kim Jong Un supervised missile trials from a domestic destroyer and pledged to continue the “limitless expansion” of the country’s nuclear forces, assigning unspecified tasks to strengthen nuclear strike and rapid-response capabilities.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi last week reported the agency has observed a “rapid increase” in activity at North Korean nuclear facilities.