North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Oct. 29, and South Korean, U.S. and Japanese officials discussed sharing information and possible responses the next day.
South Korea’s military said the missiles were launched near Wonsan at about 12:30 p.m. local time. It said they traveled roughly 250 kilometers toward waters South Korea calls the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. Japan also reported a suspected ballistic missile launch.
Seoul said it was coordinating with Washington and monitoring for further activity. On Oct. 30, senior diplomats Baek Yong-jin of South Korea, David Wilezol of the U.S. State Department and Takashi Ariyoshi of Japan held a phone consultation. They exchanged information and discussed next steps, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.
North Korean state media described the previous day’s weapons demonstration as involving a launcher for several large-caliber rockets, tactical cruise missiles and missiles fired from aircraft at ground targets. The launches came amid rising tensions over a landmine blast at the border that injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the blast, and Pyongyang rejected the accusation.
South Korea had recently proposed military talks to address differences at the border. North Korea had not responded. The three countries’ foreign ministers also met in Atlanta on Oct. 30.
They reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization and to enforcing U.N. sanctions.