North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles, South
Korea's military said, the latest in its flurry of weapons tests in
recent weeks.
Monday's launch comes as Seoul and Washington are
carrying out a joint amphibious landing exercise, and just days after
they wrapped up their largest combined military drills in five years.
North
Korea views all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion and has
repeatedly warned it would take "overwhelming" action in response.
"Our
military detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from around
Junghwa area in North Hwanghae province from 07:47 am (2247 GMT) towards
the East Sea," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said,
referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
"Our
military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance against additional
launches, while maintaining a full readiness posture through close
cooperation between South Korea and the United States," it added.
Japan's defence ministry also confirmed the launch, with Japanese media
citing officials as saying both missiles are believed to have flown on
an irregular trajectory before falling outside of Japan's exclusive
economic zone.
On Friday, North Korea's state media claimed the joint training
between Seoul and Washington was practice for "occupying" North Korea,
which called for "stronger war deterrents" including "the more
developed, multi-faceted and offensive nuclear attack capability".
Pyongyang
has carried out military drills of its own in response, including
test-firing a new nuclear-capable underwater drone and conducting its
second intercontinental ballistic missile launch this year.
Analysts
previously said North Korea would likely use the exercises as an excuse
to carry out more missile launches and perhaps even a nuclear test.
North
Korea's state media said Friday the "underwater nuclear attack drone"
drill, which was personally overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, was staged
"to alert the enemy to an actual nuclear crisis".
The weapon's
mission is to "stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a
super-scale radioactive tsunami ... to destroy naval striker groups and
major operational ports of the enemy," the Korean Central News Agency
reported.
The agency also said Pyongyang had fired strategic cruise missiles
"tipped with a test warhead simulating a nuclear warhead" on Wednesday.
North
Korea last year declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power and Kim
recently called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production,
including tactical nuclear weapons.
Kim also ordered the North Korean military this month to intensify drills to prepare for a "real war".
Source: AFP
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