North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Monday, Seoul's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missile launches in the area of Pyongyang between 7:44 am and 8:22 am, which flew around 300 km and landed in the East Sea. "North Korea fired at least three missiles, and their trajectories were similar to those of KN-24," JCS said. KN-24 is a solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of up to 410 km and a payload of 400-500 kg. The South Korean military said it immediately detected and tracked the missiles, and shared the information with the US and Japanese authorities. "We strongly condemn North Korea's latest missile launch, which is a clear provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the JCS added. This marks the North's second ballistic missile launch of the year since the first on Jan. 14, when it test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile carrying a hypersonic warhead. Additionally, Pyongyang conducted five rounds of cruise missile tests this year, raising concerns over the weapons systems that were harder to detect and shoot down. The launch comes days after Seoul and Washington wrapped up the annual military exercise, which focused on bolstering deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Japan's Coast Guard, which confirmed the launches, said the objects appeared to have already fallen. The US and South Korea wrapped up 11 days of so-called Freedom Shield joint military drills. North Korea has long condemned joint US-South Korea military drills, calling them rehearsals for an invasion. Pyongyang earlier this month warned that Seoul and Washington would pay a "dear price" for this year's Freedom Shield drills, which involved twice as many troops as last year. Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul to attend the Summit for Democracy, a ministerial conference that brings together top government officials from some 30 countries. Shortly after the missile launches, Blinken and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took to the stage at the opening of the Summit for Democracy. Both Blinken and Yoon spoke about how technology could be used to encourage democracy, but also to undermine it. — Agencies
