According to the South Korean military, North Korea has launched two short-range ballistic missiles. This is the latest in a series of weapons tests that took place days after a joint air exercise by the South and the United States.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday that the rockets were launched from the Sunan area of the North Korean capital Pyongyang towards the sea off the east coast at 07:32 GMT.
“Our military remains fully operational while working closely with the US while increasing surveillance and vigilance,” it said in a statement.
There was no immediate statement from North Korea on the launch, which took place three days after the US flew nuclear-capable bombers and modern stealth aircraft near the Korean Peninsula to train together with South Korean fighter aircraft.
North Korea generally regards such military exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion.
The USA and South Korea have been warning for months that North Korea is preparing for its seventh nuclear test.
Despite severe international sanctions against its weapons programs, North Korea has tested a flood of ballistic missiles in recent months. These included the launch of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last month, testing what it said was a new rocket engine last week and information that it developed new capabilities for taking images from space this week.
The
The
start on Friday came hours after the White House announced that North Korea had delivered weapons to the Russian private military group Wagner, whose mercenaries fought in Ukraine.
The White House announced the delivery on Thursday US time and described Wagner as a “rival” for the power of the Department of Defense and other ministries in the Kremlin.
In a statement from the Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean State Department denied any arms transaction with Russia and stated that the story was “fabricated by some dishonest forces for various purposes.”
Leader Kim Jong Un said this year that he wanted North Korea to have the strongest nuclear power in the world and declared his country an “irreversible” nuclear state.
The wish list he published last year included solid-fuel ICBMs that could be launched from land or submarines.
Last week, North Korea tested a “high-thrust solid-fuel engine.” State media described it as an important test “for the development of another novel strategic weapons system.”
All known intercontinental missiles run on liquid fuels, and Kim has given strategic priority to developing solid-fuel engines for more advanced missiles.
The latest engine test was a step toward that goal, but it’s not clear how far North Korea has come in developing such a missile, analysts said.