North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, April 19th—according to South Korea’s military—in the latest in a recent series of weapons tests by the nuclear-armed state.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced
Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea from the Sinpo area of North Korea at around 6:10 a.m.
The missiles reportedly travelled approximately 140 kilometres, and South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are currently analysing their exact specifications.
The launches are part of a broader wave of military activity by Pyongyang in recent weeks, which has included ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles, and cluster munitions tests.
Seoul said it is maintaining a “firm combined defence posture” with the United States, which stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea to help defend it against North Korean threats. The South Korean presidential office also convened an emergency security meeting following the launches.
South Korea’s defence ministry condemned the tests, adding that North Korea should “actively engage in the South Korean government’s efforts to establish peace.”
North Korea remains under a regime of United Nations sanctions banning its nuclear and ballistic missile development, restrictions it has repeatedly defied through continued testing.
