JCS - Latest News Update, Information, Photos & Videos on JCS at Lokmat Times

The first missile was launched at 5.06 a.m., and the second at 5.27 a.m., from the Kalma area in the North's eastern port of Wonsan, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).Both are estimated to have flown about 250 km at an approximate altitude of 30 km, the JCS said, adding that the South Korean and US militaries were analyzing more details, Yonhap news agency reported.The launch come six days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the same area into the East Sea in its first provocation since May.Those missiles flew some 600 km at an altitude of around 50 km and were identified as "KN-23", or the North's version of Russia's Iskander ballistic missile."Successive missile launches by North Korea are not conducive to efforts to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and we call for a halt to these acts," the JCS said in a statement.A JCS official told reporters that Wednesday's missiles were fired from a transporter erector launcher (TEL), as was the case with the launch last week, adding that the latest incident appears to be a test of the weapons, given their relatively low altitude.He added that the missiles appeared to be similar to those launched last week, though the military was analyzing data related to the pattern of their flight.After last week's missile firings, North Korea's state media had said that those launches, held under the supervision of leader Kim Jong-un, were designed to send a "solemn" warning to South Korea over its plan to conduct joint military drills with the US in August and purchase high-tech fighter jets from the ally.South Korea held a National Security Council (NSC) meeting and expressed "strong" concerns over the firings, urging Pyongyang to "stop acts that could heighten tensions and hamper efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula".Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha also said that North Korea's latest missile firings were not helpful in easing military tensions or in keeping the momentum for denuclearization talks.The US responded cautiously."We are aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea and we will continue to monitor the situation," a State Department spokesperson told Yonhap news agency on condition of anonymity.The series of launches comes as Washington has sought to restart working-level talks on dismantling the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in line with an agreement reached when US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un held a surprise meeting at the inter-Korean border in June.Despite last week's missile launches, the US has remained upbeat about the prospects for talks with the North, with Trump dismissing last week's missiles as "smaller ones" that many countries test.( With inputs from IANS )

JcsFOLLOW

Jcs, Latest News

North Korea fired what appeared to be cruise missiles off its east coast and air-to-ground missiles from fighter jets on Tuesday on the eve of Pyongyang founder's birthday, according to the South Korean military. ...

North Korea on Saturday fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the latest in a series of such launches this month. ...

North Korea on Wednesday test-launched two ballistic missiles, one of which may have been fired from a submarine before falling into waters belonging to Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to sources in Seoul and Tokyo. ...

North Korea on Tuesday fired two short-range projectiles towards the East Sea, South Korea's military said, just hours after Pyongyang offered to resume nuclear talks with the US. ...

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea on Friday, South Korea's military said, the sixth such launch in about three weeks. ...

North Korea launched two unidentified projectiles from its east coast, according to the South Korean Army, as it rejected any talks with Seoul. ...

North Korea on Friday fired unidentified short-range projectiles off its east coast, the third such launch in about a week, according to the South Korean military. ...

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, the second such launch in less than a week. ...