Seoul, South Korea:
North Korea launched several suspected short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, the South Korean military said, a week after Pyongyang said it had fired a new hypersonic missile system.
“The South Korean military has detected multiple projectiles suspected of being short-range ballistic missiles launched into the East Sea,” the South Korean military said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
The launch came a day after Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held talks with top officials in South Korea as Asian neighbors seek to strengthen ties before newly-elected US President Donald Trump returns to office.
Seoul's military said the launch took place around 9:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT).
It said it was maintaining “full preparedness” and sharing information about the launches with the United States and Japan, while “strengthening surveillance and alertness” for more launches.
Last week, Pyongyang fired what it said was a new hypersonic missile system aimed at deterring the country's rivals in the Pacific.
The location of the test site was not disclosed, but footage released by North Korean state media KCNA showed leader Kim Jong Un observing last week's launch with his teenage daughter Ju Ae.
Kim said the missile flew 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) – more than the 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) given by the South Korean military – and traveled at 12 times the speed of sound before landing in the ocean.
KCNA cited the use of a “novel carbon fiber composition” in the missile's engine, which experts warned could allow Pyongyang to achieve further goals with technology that currently only the United States, Russia and China have access to.
The launch also used a “new comprehensive and effective method” for the flight and guidance control system, KCNA said.
Experts said the latest launch on Tuesday could send a message to the new Trump administration.
“It could be against the US,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“It may indicate that an intention puts pressure on the second term of the Trump administration.”
American warnings
Last week's alleged hypersonic missile launch was North Korea's first since Trump won the US election in November and came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea.
During his trip to South Korea, a fierce rival of the North, Blinken said Russia was deepening cooperation with Pyongyang, adding that they were increasingly working together on advanced space technology.
Blinken also expressed renewed concern that Russia, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, would formally accept North Korea as a nuclear state, dealing a blow to the global consensus that Pyongyang must end its program.
In late October, North Korea fired its most advanced and powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Days later it fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles.
In response, South Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea in a show of force.
US and South Korean intelligence agencies also believe that North Korea sent thousands of troops to fight Ukraine late last year and has already suffered hundreds of casualties.
But neither North Korea nor Russia have officially confirmed that Pyongyang's forces are fighting for Moscow.
(This story has not been edited by Our staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
