North Korea fires ballistic missiles, South Korea, Japan say

SEOUL — North Korea fired "several" short-range ballistic missiles on Monday (April 22) toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, drawing a swift condemnation from Seoul, which called it a grave threat to stability on the Korean peninsula.

A Japanese government alert and its coast guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. The projectile appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone area, the NHK broadcaster said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North launched what it suspected to be several short-range ballistic missile from near its capital, Pyongyang. The missiles flew about 300 kilometres and landed in the sea.

The reports of the launch came as South Korea said its top military officer, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, had hosted the commander of US Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, on Monday to discuss the North's reconnaissance satellite development and growing military co-operation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

After a summit between the two countries' leaders in September, North Korea has been suspected of supplying arms and munitions to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, although both deny that claim.

The North is believed to be preparing to launch another spy satellite, after successfully putting a reconnaissance satellite in orbit in November.

North Korea said last week that it had fired a strategic cruise missile to test a large warhead, and a new anti-aircraft missile.

Earlier in April, the North fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile as part of its development of solid-fuelled missiles for all ranges of its arsenal, overseen by its leader, Kim Jong-un.

"North Korea is all-in on rapid weapons development, not