North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday morning, said South Korean military.
Kim Jong-un’s regime has launched a series of missiles this week, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), drawing condemnation from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.
The latest missiles flew about 130 kms 80 miles with altitude of about 12 miles and landed in the western sea, South Korea said.
The missile launches raised speculation North Korea could be readying for the resumption of nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.
Pyongyang launched a suspected new type of banned ICBM among three missile tests on Thursday, forcing Japan to issue evacuation alerts and halt trains.
The US and South Korea have extended military exercises in response to the launches, with the US Air Force reportedly planning to deploy B-1B bombers on Saturday afternoon.
South Korea‘s Defense Ministry said at least one B-1B bomber will participate on what is scheduled to be the last day of the joint air force exercise.
The “Vigilant Storm” exercise, which has involved about 240 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighter jets from both countries, has triggered an angry reaction from North Korea.
North Korea‘s Foreign Ministry late on Friday described its tests as an appropriate response to Vigilant Storm, which it called a display of US “military confrontation hysteria.”
It said North Korea will respond with the “toughest counteraction” to any attempts by “hostile forces” to infringe on its sovereignty or security interests.
South Korean officials say there are indications North Korea in coming weeks could detonate its first nuclear test device since 2017.
Experts say North Korea is attempting to force the United States to accept it as a nuclear power and seeks to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
South Kore on Friday scrambled about 80 military aircraft after tracking about 180 flights by North Korean warplanes inside North Korean territory. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North Korean warplanes were detected in various areas inland and along the country’s eastern and western coasts, but did not come particularly close to the Koreas’ border.
In Friday’s statement attributed to an unidentified spokesperson, North Korea‘s Foreign Ministry said the United States and South Korea had created a seriously “unstable atmosphere” in the region with their military exercises. It accused the United States of mobilising its allies in a campaign using sanctions and military threats to pressure North Korea to unilaterally disarm.
“The sustained provocation is bound to be followed by sustained counteraction,” the statement said.
Additional reporting by AP
