North Korea fired roughly 10 short-range ballistic missiles from its east-coast Wonsan area toward the sea on Thursday, Oct. 29, South Korea said, as tensions between the two Koreas continue to rise.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches began around 12:30 p.m. local time. The missiles traveled about 250 kilometers, or 155 miles. South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing their specifications.
South Korea said it had increased surveillance and remained on alert for further launches. It was also sharing information with the United States and Japan. Japan’s defense ministry said a suspected ballistic missile had fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the waters where Japan has special rights to use resources.
Seoul’s presidential security office called an emergency meeting. It urged Pyongyang to stop launches that it said violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. The salvo followed another North Korean ballistic missile launch on Oct. 12.
It also came less than a week after South Korea proposed military talks. The talks were meant to clarify the border line, restore military communications and reduce the risk of accidental clashes. Pyongyang had not publicly responded to the proposal.
Tensions have been heightened since landmine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 21 injured three South Korean soldiers. A joint South Korean-U.N. investigation blamed North Korea for planting the mines. Pyongyang rejected that finding.