North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles, no damage reported
KYODO NEWS - 8 hours ago - 16:12 | World, All
North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, with no damage reported so far after the first such act by Pyongyang in almost two months.
The missiles were fired between 8:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. from the Wonsan area in the eastern part of the country, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding it detected launches of various types of short-range ballistic missiles from the area.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters in Tokyo that one of the missiles that was launched around 9:20 a.m. reached a maximum altitude of around 100 kilometers and may have flown on an irregular trajectory.
The projectiles are estimated to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone and no damage to ships or planes has been reported, Nakatani said, adding that Tokyo has lodged a stern protest with Pyongyang over the incident.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference that North Korea's missile development "threatens peace" and is "unacceptable."
The missiles flew as far as approximately 800 km before falling into the sea, the South Korean military said.
North Korea last launched missiles on March 10 toward the sea, hours after South Korea and the United States began their large-scale annual joint military exercise called Freedom Shield.
The latest missile activity by Pyongyang came as its military cooperates with Moscow in Russia's war against Ukraine and ahead of South Korea's June 3 presidential election to choose the successor to Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted from office last month over his short-lived declaration of martial law in December.
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But he toned down such remarks after Yoon's martial law turmoil thrust him into the spotlight as a leading presidential contender. In foreign policy and national security pledges announced just over a week before the presidential election, Lee acknowledged Japan as "an important partner for cooperation" and pledged to pursue "pragmatic" diplomacy in the national interest. Nishino said Lee's shift in stance is aimed at presenting himself as a "realistic politician" amid turbulent times while also taking into account public support for improved bilateral ties. "The return of the Trump administration is creating many challenges to the international situation," he said. "So, he(Lee) should basically be thinking that he would not want to add more to his plate by seeing Japan-South Korea ties deteriorate." South Korea saw tensions with the United States rise during the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, as Seoul was pressured to significantly increase its share of the cost of hosting U.S. forces, reportedly faced threats of a troop withdrawal, and was pushed to renegotiate a bilateral free trade agreement. Trump has continued his "America First" foreign and trade policy in his nonconsecutive second term, which began in January, imposing higher tariffs on allies, including South Korea and Japan, as part of efforts to extract concessions on trade and other issues. Trump's commitment to Asia remains hazy, with U.S. media reporting in May that his administration is considering withdrawing thousands of U.S. troops from South Korea. The Pentagon has denied the report, but if carried out, the move could weaken deterrence against North Korea and China. 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