North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following an unidentified projectile fired on Tuesday that is also suspected to have been a ballistic missile.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the latest launches originated from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast and were aimed at eastern waters. The South Korean military has stepped up surveillance and is sharing information with the United States.
Media in South Korea reported that the projectile detected on Tuesday showed an abnormal development in the early stage of its launch and then disappeared from South Korean radar.
The launches come as Pyongyang made clear it has no intention of easing hostility with Seoul, dashing hopes of renewed dialogue. Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, said South Korea would always be the North’s “most hostile enemy state” and mocked Seoul as “world-startling fools” after Kim Jong Un’s sister praised South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for expressing regret over a recent drone incursion into the North.
Seoul had interpreted Kim’s sister’s remarks as a rare conciliatory signal, but Jang dismissed that reading and said her statement was intended as a warning. Despite President Lee’s repeated overtures to normalize ties, North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the United States, which demand Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament.
Edited by: Sean Sinico