Seoul, March 06 (QNA) – North Korea on Monday fired four ballistic missiles into the East Sea, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, in an apparent reaction to the ongoing joint military drills by South Korea and the United States.
The four projectiles were launched from the Dongchang-ri long-range missile site in North Pyongan Province and all flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing into the East Sea, JCS said. “We estimate the North fired four ballistic missiles. We are conducting an analysis (with the US) to determine the exact type of missiles fired and other specifications. It will take a while before we can come up with a final analysis (based on US satellite data),” the JCS said.
Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn convened a National Security Council meeting after the missile firing, according to (Yonhap) news agency. The missiles do not appear to be intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the western part of the US mainland, the Ministry of National Defense said in a press briefing.
Earlier in the day, military officials raised the possibility that the projectiles could be ICBMs if launched at a high angle. The North test-fired a long-range ballistic missile at the Dongchang-ri or “Sohae” missile launch site in February last year. It launched seven ballistic missiles, including three Musudan intermediate-range missiles, during the Foal Eagle drills last year.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reportedly said three out of four missiles fired by the North landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The latest provocation comes a day after the US said it may consider redeploying a tactical nuclear weapon to South Korea as a deterrent against growing nuclear and missile threats posed by the North regime.
On Friday, Pyongyang threatened to conduct more missile firings in response to the two-month-long Foal Eagle exercise between Seoul and Washington, which lasts through April. Seoul and Washington call the annual drills on the Korean Peninsula defensive and routine. (QNA)
