North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles in back-to-back launch

Seoul, April 8 North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, in a back-to-back launch that came after President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone flights by individuals into the North.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles launched from the Wonsan area in the North at around 8:50 a.m. They flew some 240 kilometres. It marked the North's fourth confirmed ballistic missile launch this year.

"Our military is closely monitoring North Korea's various movements under a robust South Korea-US combined defense posture and maintains the capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation in an overwhelming manner," the JCS said.

South Korean and US intelligence authorities have tracked the launch movement and closely shared relevant information, it added.

The launch came just a day after the North fired an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area Tuesday, which is currently pending analysis by South Korean and US intelligence authorities.

The projectile, believed to have been launched Tuesday morning, disappeared shortly after it was fired in an apparent failure.

The back-to-back launches came after President Lee expressed regret over drone flights by individuals into the North on Monday.

At a Cabinet meeting, Lee expressed regret over the drone flights, saying that the incidents have caused unnecessary military tension with Pyongyang. His remarks came after prosecutors last week indicted three individuals accused of flying drones into North Korea between September and January, Yonhap news agency reported.

Hours after Lee's remarks, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement that said North Korea's head of state assessed Lee as having a "frank and broad-minded" attitude.

Still, she warned Seoul "should stop any reckless provocation" against Pyongyang and "refrain from any attempt at contact, instead of paying lip service to the utmost importance of peace and security."

The North last fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on March 14 as annual springtime military drills by South Korea and the United States were under way. State media reported the following day the North conducted a firepower strike drill involving 600-millimetre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers.

Pyongyang has yet to release any report on both launches.

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