N. Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles into Sea of Japan

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles from the vicinity of Pyongyang toward the East Sea on Monday at approximately 9:20 a.m., according to the South Korean military. The missiles, which appeared to be of different types, traveled over 900 kilometers. Japan's Defence Ministry assessed that the missiles landed in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, while Japan's coast guard reported that two unidentified projectiles appeared to have already fallen.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in South Korea indicated the launches may have been a protest against the South's recent successful test-firing of a hypersonic glide vehicle and a demonstration of North Korean defense capabilities. JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young declined to specify if the missiles were hypersonic or intermediate-range, noting that further analysis is required. The Jerusalem Post reported that this marks Pyongyang's fourth launch in a month.

South Korea's National Security Office condemned the launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and called for an immediate end to such activities. The missile tests follow a recent period of rising tensions, including a South Korean test of a hypersonic missile and a September 21 mine blast on the South's side of the Demilitarized Zone. A joint investigation with the U.N. Command determined those explosions were caused by antipersonnel land mines planted by North Korea.

Brief written by urgent.news from Nippon.com News, The Korea Times, Jerusalem Post, Yonhap News, Times of India — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.