North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Sunday, the latest of a recent barrage of weapons tests, The Associated Press reported.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected two missile launches Sunday between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m. local time, from the North’s eastern coastal city of Munchon. It added that South Korea’s military has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the United States.
Japanese Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino also confirmed the launches, saying Pyongyang's testing activities are "absolutely unacceptable" as they threaten regional and international peace and security.
Ino said the weapons could be submarine-launched ballistic missiles. "We are continuing to analyze details of the missiles, including a possibility that they might have been launched from the sea," Ino said, according to AP.
The launch is North Korea’s seventh such test in recent weeks and comes three days after it fired two ballistic missiles from the Samsok area in Pyongyang towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile over Japan. Officials and analysts said that missile was a Hwasong-12 that travelled likely the longest horizontal distance of any North Korean test before.
North Korea has tested more than 30 ballistic weapons in 2022, including its first intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, as it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a prolonged stalemate in nuclear diplomacy.
In May, it fired a volley of missiles, including possibly its largest intercontinental ballistic missile.
Last month, North Korea passed a law officially enshrining its nuclear weapons policies. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the new legislation makes the country’s nuclear status "irreversible" and bars any negotiation on denuclearization.