North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles tests Monday morning locally as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul for a democracy summit with several allied leaders.
The launches are the country’s first known missile tests in roughly a month and come days after the end of annual U.S.-South Korean military drills in the region that North Korea has described as proactive.
South Korean officials said in a statement that the country’s military detected “several aircraft presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles.” They were launched from the Pyongyang area and traveled nearly 200 miles before landing in the East Sea, according to a translation of the statement, which also stated that launches were detected from about 7:44 a.m. to 8:22 a.m. local time.
Japan’s Defense Ministry similarly said North Korea fired three missiles, two at 7:44 a.m. and one about 37 minutes later, The Associated Press reported.
U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials all said in their respective statements they were collaborating closely with each other to share information and, according to South Korean officials, “comprehensively analyze” the “detailed specifications.”
All three condemned the launch.
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