North Korea has test-fired multiple missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said on Tuesday. The short-range ballistic missiles were fired from a northern inland area and flew approximately 155 miles before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The incident is North Korea’s second missile launch this year, following a similar event last week. The South Korean military has strengthened surveillance and shared the information with the US and Japanese militaries. It described the test as “clear provocation” that poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
North Korea claims the latest test was of its new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific. Leader Kim Jong Un aims to expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations.
The year-end conference by North Korea’s leader saw him vow to implement “toughest” anti-US policy, criticizing Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen security cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo. However, the US president Donald Trump is not expected to quickly resume diplomacy with North Korea despite his return to the White House.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missile-launch-nuclear-kim-jong-un-7924d599f55b01cb6662da8d5cd75ea2