Launch follows Seoul’s military talks offer amid DMZ tensions
North Korea fired more than 10 missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles, toward the sea separating Korea and Japan on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, as tensions persist along the inter-Korean border.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were detected from the Wonsan area on the North’s east coast at around 12:30 p.m. The missiles flew about 155 miles, with South Korean and U.S. authorities conducting a detailed analysis of their specifications, the JCS said.
The allies monitored preparations for the launches and detected and tracked the missiles immediately after they were fired, the JCS said in a text message to reporters.
“Our military is closely monitoring various North Korean activities while maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation,” the JCS said.
The launches came less than a week after Seoul proposed military talks with Pyongyang to jointly verify the precise location of the Military Demarcation Line, restore military communication lines and discuss ways to prevent accidental border clashes.
Tensions have risen following Sept. 21 land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers, two seriously. South Korea’s military said a joint investigation with the U.N. Command determined that North Korean troops had planted the mines south of the Military Demarcation Line, violating the Korean War armistice. Pyongyang denied responsibility and accused Seoul of fabricating its findings.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said last week that the North would have propaganda loudspeakers ready along the border within days and warned Seoul against interfering with its fortification work. The warning came as the two governments traded accusations over the mine explosions.
Thursday’s launches followed a state media report Wednesday that Kim Jong Un had called on military commanders to intensify training to prepare for war.