South Korea said North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Thursday, Oct. 29.
Japan reported that the suspected missile had fallen into the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff first called the launch an unidentified projectile. It later said the missiles were fired at about 12:30 p.m. local time from near Wonsan, on North Korea’s eastern coast.
Japan’s Coast Guard said the projectile might be a ballistic missile. It said the projectile had already fallen into the sea. Japan’s Defense Ministry also detected the launch.
Seoul said it was keeping watch and coordinating with the United States and Japan in case of more launches. The launch followed North Korea’s Oct. 12 ballistic-missile tests. It also came amid rising tensions over land mines that wounded three South Korean soldiers near the border in September.
Seoul accused Pyongyang of planting the mines. North Korea denied responsibility and warned against provocation. South Korea had recently proposed talks to clarify the disputed border.
North Korea had not responded, according to the Associated Press report. The latest launch added to a series of weapons tests this year. Officials had not publicly released more technical details about Thursday’s missiles.