North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, while leader Kim Jong Un was in Russia ahead of a summit with President Vladimir Putin.
North Korea “fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area toward the East Sea between 11:43 a.m. and 11:53 a.m. GMT today,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, using the Korean language name for the Sea of Japan.
“Our forces have increased their surveillance and vigilance in anticipation of further launches, while remaining ready to intervene in close cooperation with the United States,” the same source stated.
Tokyo also confirmed the launch of two ballistic missiles.
Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that the missiles “appear to have crashed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone,” adding that details of the launch were still being analyzed.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Washington said could lead to an arms sales deal to support Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Experts say Russia is seeking weapons supplies from Pyongyang, while North Korea wants to modernize its aging equipment.
American analyst Ankit Panda responded to this essay on It’s a first.”
North Korea has expanded its banned weapons tests since the beginning of the year, most recently on August 30 with two short-range ballistic missiles.
Last month, Pyongyang failed in its second attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit.
In response, South Korea and the United States have increased defense cooperation and conducted joint exercises and naval maneuvers with Japan.