North Korea Fires Short-Range Ballistic Missiles for Second Time in A Week

The missiles were launched from Kaechon, north of the capital Pyongyang, at about 6.50 am on Wednesday (21:50 GMT on Tuesday) and flew about 400km (249 miles) towards the northeast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, without specifying how many were fired or where they landed, Al Jazeera reported.

“North Korea’s missile launch is a clear act of provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and we strongly condemn it,” the JCS said in a statement.

Japan also confirmed the launch with the coastguard saying North Korea fired at least two ballistic missiles.

The test comes days after North Korea’s foreign minister met top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu in Moscow.

The two heavily-sanctioned countries have deepened ties in recent months with analysts saying the latest tests could be linked with North Korea’s alleged illicit supply of weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. Pyongyang has denied sending weapons to Moscow.

Pyongyang fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles last Thursday, the first such launch in more than two months, which it later said was a test of a new 600mm multiple-launch rocket system.

It was the country’s first major test since early July.

Wednesday’s missile launches also came days after the isolated country released the first-ever images of its uranium enrichment facility.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and has been under UN sanctions since.