North Korea fires multiple short-range missiles at its east coast, South says Reuters

Written by Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired several short-range missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, marking Pyongyang’s latest show of force just days before President-elect of the United States Donald Trump returned to office.

The missiles traveled 250 kilometers (155 miles) after taking off at around 09:30 am (0030 GMT) from Kanggye, Jagang Province, near the country’s border with China, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

“We strongly condemn the launch as a clear provocation that seriously threatens the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula,” the JCS said, warning the North against “misjudging” the situation and vowing to “react aggressively” ” in any other challenges.

South Korean President Choi Sang-mok also criticized the launch as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and said Seoul will respond strongly to North Korea’s actions.

The launch came about a week after the North fired what it said was a new hypersonic ballistic missile, its first missile test. from 5 Nov.

The latest missile launch also occurred during a visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to Seoul.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Iwaya condemned the North’s nuclear and missile development on Monday and pledged to strengthen security ties after talks in Seoul.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when he visited Seoul last week, also called for further strengthening of bilateral and trilateral cooperation with Tokyo to combat the growing military threats. of Pyongyang.

Tuesday’s announcement came days before the inauguration of Trump, who held unprecedented meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his first term and announced diplomatic ties. their personal.

South Korean lawmakers, after being tipped off by the National Intelligence Service, said on Monday that Pyongyang’s recent weapons tests were intended to “demonstrate its anti-US weapons and attract the attention of Trump” after vowing “the strongest opposition against the US” in a major way. year-end policy meeting last month.