North Korea fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the sea of Japan Saturday, March 14, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of "terrible consequences" over ongoing South Korea-US military drills.
Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington's security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a "clumsy, deceptive farce." Seoul's military detected "around ten ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea at around 1:20 pm" local time, JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea's name for the body of water.
The missiles flew a distance of around 350 kilometers, adding that South Korean and US authorities are analyzing their exact specifications. The South Korean military is ready to "respond overwhelmingly to any provocation," JCS added.
Japan's defence ministry also confirmed North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles that reached a maximum altitude of about 80 kilometres and fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone near the Korean Peninsula's east coast.
Seoul's presidential Blue House condemned the launches as a "provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions" and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts. It also ordered relevant agencies to maintain heightened readiness, as the launch occurred during the joint US-South Korea military drills.
