North Korea fired a group of ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, the South Korean military said, days after an attempted launch of a North Korean military spy satellite failed.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired 10 ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang to the east into the sea. The alleged missiles flew around 350 kilometers, he said, adding that the South has increased surveillance over military activity in the region.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen in recent months as the pace of North Korea’s weapons tests and South Korea’s combined military exercises with the United States and Japan have intensified.
North Korea launched balloons filled with trash and manure toward the South starting Tuesday in retaliation for South Korean activists who sent anti-government propaganda leaflets to the North.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also warned of unspecified “overwhelming actions” against the South, after it carried out a military exercise with 20 fighter jets near the border, just hours before North Korea attempted to launch the satellite. .
The satellite exploded shortly after liftoff, constituting an embarrassing failure for the development of the North’s space capabilities. The North successfully launched its first military spy satellite in November, but Monday’s failure represented a possible setback to Kim’s plans to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024.
“We will never tolerate any moves by hostile forces to violate the inviolable sphere under the exercise of sovereignty, nor will we fail to have access to space reconnaissance capability, which must be done safely, no matter what others may say,” said the Vice Foreign Minister of North Korea. Kim Son Gyong said in a statement published on state media.
The Associated Press contributed.
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