North Korea launches 3 ballistic missiles towards the Sea of ​​Japan | conflict news

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The Japanese Defense Ministry said the missiles landed in the Sea of ​​Japan and there were no reports of damage so far.

North Korea has launched three short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of ​​Japan, its latest launch in a year that has seen an unprecedented barrage of missile tests by an increasingly aggressive Pyongyang.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense said that the first ballistic missile was launched on Saturday morning shortly after 08:00 am local time (23:00 GMT), and the second was launched at around 08:14 am (23:14 GMT), and a missile took off third. after a minute.

The three missiles were launched from the outskirts of the capital, Pyongyang, reaching an altitude of 100 km and flying a distance of about 350 km (217 miles).

The missiles landed in the Sea of ​​Japan but outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone – a body of water that extends about 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from the country’s coast – according to the ministry and news organizations.

The ministry said warning information has been given to aircraft and ships near the missile flight path, but no accidents have been reported “at the moment.”

North Korea launched at least two apparent ballistic missiles on Saturday, the last day of 2022, a record year after launches. https://t.co/jHx3rdRihR

— The Japan Times (@japantimes) December 30, 2022

North Korea’s series of actions, including its repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community. In addition, such ballistic tests violate relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the North’s missile launch and said its military was monitoring the situation.

“Our military maintains a state of full readiness while cooperating closely with the United States and enhancing surveillance and vigilance,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Saturday’s launches add to North Korea’s tally of nearly 70 ballistic missiles – including about eight intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – launched over the course of the year, the most ever by a nuclear-armed Pyongyang that has formally announced plans to modernize the country’s military capabilities. In response to what it says is a provocation by South Korea and its main ally, the United States.

Saturday’s launch also comes just days after North Korea flew drones into South Korean airspace for the first time since 2017, prompting Seoul to deploy fighter jets and helicopters to shoot down the drones.

South Korea’s military later apologized for failing to shoot down the drones, and the country’s President Yoon Sok Yol has since called for stronger air defenses and high-tech drones to better monitor North Korea.

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