North Korea launches 2 missiles to sea as US, South Korea hold drills

Seoul, March 14

North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles in another show of force on Tuesday, a day after the United States and South Korea began military drills that Pyongyang views as an invasion rehearsal.

The missiles launched from the south-western coastal town of Jangyon flew across North Korea before landing in the sea off that country’s east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said both missiles travelled about 620 kilometers.

The reported flight distances suggest the missiles target South Korea, which hosts about 28,000 US troops. South Korea’s military called the launches “a grave provocation” that undermines stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said Tuesday’s launches don’t pose an immediate threat to its allies. But it said the North’s recent tests highlight the “destabilising impact” of the North’s unlawful weapons programs and that the US security commitment to South Korea and Japan remains “ironclad”.