DPRK fires salvo of short-range ballistic missiles: S. Korean military
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South Korea's military claims it had detected the launch of "several short-range ballistic missiles" from the Pyongyang area.
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People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a DPRK missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on April 22, 2024. (AFP)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has fired several short-range ballistic missiles, Seoul's military claimed on Monday.
South Korea's military said it had detected the launch of "several short-range ballistic missiles" from the Pyongyang area, which flew around 300 kilometers (186 miles) before falling into waters east of the Korean peninsula.
"This missile launch is a blatant provocation that threatens peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that the military was maintaining "full readiness".
Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi saying one missile had a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers and landed outside of the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The latest reported launch comes after Russia exercised last month its veto power to block a Security Council resolution aimed at overseeing UN sanctions imposed on the DPRK.
On Friday, the DPRK tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said, with Seoul's military confirming it had detected cruise missile launches around the same time.
It has also ramped up testing, confirming in early April to have tested a new medium-to-long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile.
This year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.
Last year, the DPRK conducted a record number of missile tests. Pyongyang declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state in 2022.
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