North Korea fires missiles days after South Korea’s hypersonic test

SEOUL, Oct 12 (Reuters) - North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles over the sea off its eastern coast on Monday, according to South Korea's military. This marks the country's fourth missile launch in a single month, following Seoul's recent test of a hypersonic missile. The ballistic missiles, of varying types, were launched around 9:20 a.m. local time (0020 GMT) from near Pyongyang.

One type of missile reportedly traveled over 900 km (559 miles), reported the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Earlier, Japan's coast guard stated that North Korea had also fired two unidentified projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, which had already fallen. South Korea's National Security Office held an emergency meeting, condemning the launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and urging an immediate cessation.

These missile launches come amid rising tensions between the two Koreas in recent weeks, with both nations conducting weapons tests. Last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung witnessed the country's first test-firing of a hypersonic missile, a rare public demonstration by a South Korean president. North Korea's missile launches were seen as a show of force in response to the successful test launch of South Korea's hypersonic missile, as well as a deliberate display of missile capabilities, stated a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The launches follow a border mine blast last month that injured three South Korean soldiers, with Seoul blaming North Korea for the incident and demanding an apology. Pyongyang has denied these claims and accused South Korea of provocation. North Korea has conducted over ten missile tests this year, including four in the last month, indicating a desire to boost its leverage prior to a potential summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, according to Song Seong-jong, a professor at Daejeon University in Seoul and a former South Korean Defence Ministry official.