North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula early today, and leader Kim Jong Un’s sister warned of more to come unless the United States halts military drills with South Korea.
According to a statement posted on the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo Jong, one of the country’s top officials, said the frequency of using the Pacific Ocean as a shooting range depends on the nature of the US military’s actions.
Today’s missile tests were the second in three days – Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Saturday, its third such test in less than a year.
The US responded to that launch by holding separate drills with South Korea and Japan on Sunday, a move North Korea viewed as a provocation, on top of planned nuclear tabletop drills between the US and South Korea at the Pentagon this week. The allies are also expected to hold military drills next month in the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea had warned Friday of “unprecedented strong responses” to those drills if they go ahead.
Japan’s Defense Ministry estimated both missiles were fired Monday at around 7:00 a.m. local time and fell into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, “to the east of the Korean Peninsula, outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.”
