SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea launched multiple projectiles, including at least one short-range ballistic missile, off the country’s west coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced in a statement that the missile was fired from near Cheongju, North Pyongan Province, North Korea, at around 1 p.m. (4 p.m. Japan time).
According to JCS, the missile flew about 80 kilometers. This equates to 49.7 miles.
The missile launch was the first known missile launch by North Korea since April 19, when the country tested several short-range ballistic missiles equipped with cluster munitions.
In early April, North Korea also announced it had tested a new cluster bomb warhead mounted on ballistic missiles and electromagnetic weapons, which analysts said was part of North Korea’s efforts to demonstrate its modern warfare capabilities.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in March that his country’s status as a nuclear power was irreversible and that expanding its “self-defense nuclear deterrent” was essential to national security.
Despite U.N. sanctions on its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs since 2006, North Korea has accelerated efforts to build up its arsenal under Kim in recent years, drawing condemnation from South Korea, Japan and the United States.
At a press conference on Tuesday, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson called on North Korea to respond to South Korea’s peace proposals and efforts to ease tensions.
The South Korean spokesperson said that while maintaining the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea will work closely with the international community to pursue a gradual and realistic approach to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heejin Kim; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Ed Davis)
