North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles, one launch fails

NEWS WIRES
·1-min read

North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles on Monday further escalated tensions with South Korea. The launch comes a day after Pyongyang denounced joint military exercises by South Korea, Japan and the United States.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles but one launch failed, South Korea's military said Monday, a day after Pyongyang warned of "fatal consequences" following major joint exercises in the South.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military had detected two launches, the first at 5:05 am (2005 GMT) and the second around 10 minutes later.

"The short-range ballistic missile launched at around 05:05 flew approximately 600 km (372 miles)," it said, adding the second one travelled 120 km.

JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said the second missile appeared to fly abnormally in an early stage of flight, adding that if it had exploded in mid-air, its trajectory indicates debris could have landed over North Korea.

Seoul's military has "strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for further launches", JCS said in a statement.

The JCS's Lee declined to comment when asked whether the North's latest launch could have been a test of missiles intended for delivery to Russia.

The launch also comes after Pyongyang on Sunday denounced joint military exercises by South Korea, Japan and the United States, calling them an "Asian version of NATO" and warning of "fatal consequences".

(AFP)


Read more on FRANCE 24 English

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