North Korea fires a salvo of about ten short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan toward the sea, flying about 250 km

North Korea on Thursday, October 29, fired a salvo of about ten short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on its east coast, toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the launch at about 12:30 Korean time, that is 05:30 Greek time.

In its first announcement the South Korean staff said, according to SBS: “Our military detected about ten short-range ballistic missiles launched toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area.” It added that it had stepped up surveillance in view of further launches and that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are closely sharing information on “North Korean ballistic missiles”. In a later update the JCS clarified, as the Korea Times reports, that the missiles flew about 250 kilometres, while their other characteristics are being analysed jointly with the United States. In South Korean accounts the number ranges from “about ten” to “about twelve” missiles.

“Based on the unshakable joint defence posture of South Korea and the US, our military closely monitors various North Korean activities and maintains the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation,” the staff said.

Tokyo and Seoul react

In Tokyo, Japan’s Ministry of Defense recorded the launch of “an object that may be a ballistic missile” at about 12:36 Japan time. Japan assesses that the projectile fell near the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, without reaching Japanese territory or the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and there were no reports of damage to aircraft or ships in the area. The ministry described the series of North Korean actions as a threat “to the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community”.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was informed immediately and at 12:38 gave three instructions: a full effort to collect and analyse information with timely briefing of the public, checks on the safety of aircraft and ships, and full readiness for unforeseen situations. An emergency team was convened at the Prime Minister’s crisis management centre, while Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who had travelled to the Philippines for the expanded ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-Plus), asked for close coordination with the US and South Korea and uninterrupted surveillance.

In Seoul, the presidential National Security Office met in an emergency session with the participation of the Defence Ministry and the JCS. The presidency said the launch violates UN Security Council resolutions and called on Pyongyang to stop provocations immediately.

The second launch in 17 days

It is North Korea’s second ballistic missile launch within 17 days. On October 12 Pyongyang fired missiles from the capital area, some of which flew more than 900 kilometres, and then claimed it had tested “tactical ballistic missiles” to verify upgrades to key components. A launch from Wonsan had preceded that on October 3.

The new salvo comes about a week after Seoul proposed military talks on differences over the drawing of the Military Demarcation Line. Tension on the border has escalated since September 21, when a mine explosion wounded three South Korean soldiers. Pyongyang denies any responsibility and threatens to deploy weapons and resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, while earlier this week a North Korean self-propelled howitzer appeared on the western section of the line, a move a JCS official described as mainly a “show of force”. Seoul had already warned of “decisive punishment” in case of new provocations on the border.