North Korea fired 10 missiles into the Sea of Japan
Last Updated on May 31, 2024 9:52 am
North Korea’s defense forces have fired short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. These missiles were launched early on Thursday. South Korea’s defense forces confirmed this information in a statement, saying that Pyongyang fired at least 10 ballistic missiles at the eastern coast early on Thursday.
The statement referred to this incident as ‘provocative’ and said that Seoul will discuss this issue with the United States and Japan soon.
Along with South Korea, Japan also confirmed the authenticity of the missile launch. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Thursday morning that North Korea’s missiles hit Japan’s exclusive economic zone. He also strongly condemned this ‘provocative’ incident.
Last Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang met in Seoul on the issue of ‘liberating the Korean Peninsula from nuclear weapons’. These three countries are members of a Tripartite Regional Alliance. The last meeting of this alliance was in 2019.
Pyongyang strongly condemned Monday’s meeting. State news agency KCNA described the meeting as “deeply provocative”, saying North Korea aims to establish itself as a nuclear-armed state and that Pyongyang does not expect such a meeting with neighboring countries.
The administration led by North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un also released several balloons over the South Korean border on Tuesday to condemn the meeting. The balloons were filled with gas as well as garbage.
Meanwhile, North Korea attempted to launch a surveillance satellite into space on Monday, the same day the three countries met in Seoul, but that attempt failed. Kim Jong Un, however, later said in a speech that Pyongyang will continue its efforts to send satellites into space even if it fails.
Incidentally, in 2016, the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. But Kim Jong Un is not paying attention to that ban. The Security Council called an emergency meeting on this issue on Friday.