Flashpoints | Security | East Asia
North Korea intends to press ahead with its own military modernization timeline regardless of the diplomatic calendar.
North Korea fired several close-range ballistic missiles into the ocean on May 26, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. It was North Korea’s eighth ballistic missile test this year, and the first since the test of several short-range ballistic missiles over a month ago.
According to the South’s JCS, the missiles were launched around 1 p.m. KST from Chongju, North Pyongan Province, the county northwest of Pyongyang, and flew about 80 kilometers before falling into the sea to the west of the Korean Peninsula. Close-range ballistic missiles are generally classified as those with a range of 300 kilometers or less.
The JCS said it had detected several additional projectiles, including multiple locket launchers, but did not elaborate. It added that the authorities of South Korean, U.S., and Japan are sharing intelligence and conducting detailed analysis of the specifications of the launches.
