The missiles were launched from the Sunan area, near the North Korean capital Pyongyang, into the waters east of the Korean peninsula between 9:08 and 9:43 local time in Seoul on Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
South Korea’s national security chief Kim Sung-han will hold a meeting of the National Security Council’s standing committee to discuss the launch, the president’s office said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida “strongly opposes” North Korea’s repeated missile launches, telling reporters it was a clear violation of United Nations resolutions.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi called the launch “unprecedented” and confirmed at least six missiles, but possibly more, as North Korea fired is estimated to have landed outside the Exclusive Economic Zone. economy (EEZ) of Japan.
“The extremely large number of launches from at least three locations in a short period of time is unprecedented,” he said, adding that missile launches that threaten international peace and security are cannot tolerate.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, six of the missiles reached a maximum altitude of 50 to 100 kilometers (31 to 62 miles) and flew a distance of about 300 to 400 kilometers (186 to 249 miles).
Mr. Kishi said that Japan has officially protested North Korea’s latest actions through diplomatic channels with Beijing.
In response to Sunday’s launch, the South Korean military has increased surveillance and is “closely cooperating and maintaining a full readiness posture with the US”, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The launch also came a day after the South Korean and US navies concluded a three-day exercise in waters off Japan’s Okinawa, the South Korean military confirmed to CNN.
In a press release, the US Navy said it has deployed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan with Carrier Strike Group 5.
Participating in the drills were the ROKS Sejong The Great ship of the Republic of Korea Navy and the amphibious assault ship Marado, the US Navy said.
