North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a missile launch in this undated photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to U.S. and South Korean officials, the latest in a series of weapons tests this year.
The North fired an unidentified type of ballistic missile from Wonson off its eastern coast just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense reported minutes after the launch.
That morning, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced that other North Korean launches had been detected early that day and on Tuesday.
“We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the command said in a statement Wednesday. “Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies.”
Those launches consisted of multiple short-range ballistic missiles that traveled about 150 miles off North Korea’s eastern coast, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters.
“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a robust South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintains the capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation in an overwhelming manner,” the Joint Chiefs said.
INDOPACOM said the United States remains committed to the defense of the homeland and its allies in the region.
On Monday, North Korea launched an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area, the Joint Chiefs said that day. That test appeared to have failed, according to a report by the Yonhap News Agency.
The launches follow reports last month that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the ground test of a solid-fuel missile engine, according to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The engine, made with carbon fiber materials, is part of an effort to strengthen the country’s strategic strike capabilities, the report said.
The engine is intended for use in a new intercontinental ballistic missile under development, South Korean media reported.
