North Korea Launched Ballistic Missiles that Flew 350 Kilometers - Tokyo

By Staff, Agencies

The two suspected ballistic missiles launched by North Korea on Monday morning landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese media report.

South Korea’s news agency reported, citing the South Korean military, that North Korea test-fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Japan Coast Guard issued two warnings on Monday, suggesting that two launches were carried out by Pyongyang.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said that the missiles traveled 350 kilometers and reached an altitude of 50 kilometers before falling into the sea.

The first warning was issued at 07:50 local time [22:50 GMT on Sunday]. Ten minutes later, the second warning was issued by the Japan Coast Guard.

Kyodo news reported citing government sources on Monday that the first missile landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. NHK said, according to government sources, that the second missile also landed outside the exclusive zone.

Last week, North Korea tested a ballistic missile that landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the test was part of a military drill designed to test the country's ability to respond to a nuclear attack with nuclear weapons of its own.

Kim Jong-un "stressed the need to let service personnel get familiar with any unexpected circumstances and make them more perfectly prepared in their active posture of making an immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack anytime," North Korean state media said at the time.

South Korea and the United States held joint military exercises in the region earlier this month in an operation named "Freedom Shield 23." North Korea called the drills preparation for a "war of aggression" by the United States and South Korea.