By Spy Uganda CorrespondentĀ
North Korea launched eight short-range ballistic missiles Sunday into the Sea of āāJapan, South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that it was analyzing the incident.
The South Korean military said the shots were fired between 9:08 a.m. and 9:43 a.m. local time (0:08 a.m. and 0:43 a.m. GMT) from the Sunan area of āāthe capital Pyongyang, according to the text.
āWhile our military strengthens vigilance against possible new launches, it maintains a fully prepared posture while closely cooperating with the United States,ā the statement read.
South Koreaās National Security Council has called a meeting in response to the North Korean weapons test, the third since President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power on May 10.
Sundayās is the 18th weapons test of these characteristics carried out by Pyongyang, which has a record number of tests so far this year, and comes after it fired what is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile and two short-range ballistic missiles on May 25.
That launch came just after United States President Joe Biden concluded his first Asian tour in Japan, which also took him to South Korea, where the international agenda was focused on addressing Pyongyangās weapons challenges.
The North Korean missile launches come at a time of particular tension between North Korea, its neighboring countries and also with the US, whose denuclearization negotiations with the regime have been stalled since 2019.
The South Korean and US governments have also been pointing to an imminent nuclear test in Pionyang for weeks, which would have already completed preparations for it.