NORTH KOREA – What we know as North Korea fires ballistic missiles. North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea/Sea of Japan on Thursday, according to South Korea’s military.
South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said it detected the launch, “likely” involving multiple short-range ballistic missiles, from North Korea’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan at around 8.10 a.m. local time.
The missiles flew up to about 800 kilometers before splashing down in waters to the east of the peninsula, the JCS added.
“Our military has bolstered surveillance against an additional launch and maintains a full readiness posture while closely sharing information on the North’s ballistic missiles with the United States and Japan,” the JCS said in a statement.
South Korea and Allies Condemned the Missile Launch
South Korea, the US, and Japan condemned the missile launches by Pyongyang.
Japanese Foreign Ministry official Okochi Akihiro and South Korean Foreign Ministry official Kim Heun jin, during a phone talk, “strongly condemned the launches, calling them “a threat to the peace and security of the region and the international community.”
The two sides also “reaffirmed close coordination among Japan, the US and the South Korea,” said a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Washington also condemned the launches and called on Pyongyang to “refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts.”
The latest launch came after North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on March 10 as South Korea and the US launched their joint springtime military exercise.
North Korea and Belarus Hold Economic Talks
North Korea and Belarus have resumed high-level economic talks for the first time in 19 years, discussing avenues to enhance cooperation across various sectors.
A Belarusian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to attend the third session of the intergovernmental joint committee for trade and economic cooperation. The last such meeting was held in Minsk in June 2006.
North Korean Vice Premier Jong Myong-su said the visit would help strengthen friendly ties, expressing hopes that bilateral cooperation and exchanges will become more active.
Shuleiko, in turn, emphasized the importance of boosting cooperation to improve the welfare of both nations.
The renewed talks come amid growing coordination between North Korea and Belarus. In July 2024, top diplomats from Pyongyang and Minsk also held a meeting in the North Korean capital to advance bilateral relations.
