North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Off East Coast; Japan Issues Alert

On Monday, South Korea’s military said that North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the North launched several short-range ballistic missiles from near its capital, Pyongyang.

A Japanese government alert and its coast guard too reported that North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile.

According to the report, the rocket seemed to land outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone area.

The missiles flew around 300 kilometres (186 miles) before landing in the sea.

The launch announcement came as South Korea’s top military officer, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, had hosted the commander of U.S. Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, on Monday to discuss the North’s reconnaissance satellite development and growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The two countries did not immediately provide any additional information.

North Korea announced last week that it had launched a strategic cruise missile with a big warhead and a new anti-aircraft missile.

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