Pyongyang tests out its ballistic missiles

North Korea fired multiple types of short-range ballistic missiles yesterday, South Korea's military reported yesterday, around a week after leader Kim Jong-un tested a new weapons system for his latest warship.

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Seoul's military said it had “detected the launch of various types of short-range ballistic missiles”, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an official statement yesterday.

The missiles were “fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea into the East Sea between approximately 08.10 and 09.20 today,” they added, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

The missiles flew up to about 800 kilometres before splashing down in waters to the east of the peninsula, the JCS said, adding it strongly condemned the North for a “clear act of provocation that poses a serious threat to peace and stability”.

“Our military, under the strong South Korea-US combined defence posture, is closely monitoring various North Korean activities to prevent any mis-judgement [by the North],” it said in a statement.

The launch, the nuclear-armed North’s first missile test since March, came about a week after Mr Kim oversaw the test-firing of a new warship weapons system.