South Korea says North fired missiles at its eastern waters

A missile test carried out by North Korea in 2024. File pic/AFP

North Korea on Thursday fired various types of short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said multiple missiles were launched from the area around the eastern port city of Wonsan from about 8.10 am to 9.20 am, with the farthest travelling about 800 km. It didn't confirm the exact number of the missiles it detected.

Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs, said the North Korean launches were possibly intended to test the performance of weapons it plans to export, as the country continues to send military equipment and troops to fuel Russia's war against Ukraine.

Lee said the tests likely involved a short-range ballistic missile system launched from vehicles - possibly modelled after Russia's Iskander missile - and also large-caliber rocket artillery systems, which blur the line between traditional artillery and ballistic systems due to their self-propulsion and guided flight.

South Korean and US intelligence detected the preparations in advance and tracked the missiles after launch. The countries were sharing the launch information with Japan. Japanese Defence Ministry said none of the North Korean missiles reached Japan's exclusive economic zone and there was no damage to vessels or aircraft in the area.

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