North Korea fires two ballistic missiles

SEOUL — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Sunday, the latest in its barrage of weapons tests in recent days, after it warned against the U.S. redeployment of an aircraft carrier for a new round of drills with South Korean warships.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the two missiles were launched between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m. from North Korea’s eastern coastal city of Munchon.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea’s military had boosted its surveillance posture and maintained readiness in coordination with the United States.

Japanese Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino also confirmed the launches, saying Pyongyang’s weapons tests were “absolutely unacceptable” because they threatened regional and international peace and security.

Ino said the weapons could be submarine-fired ballistic missiles.

“We are continuing to analyze details of the missiles, including a possibility that they might have been launched from the sea,” Ino said.

North Korea’s pursuit of the ability to fire missiles from a submarine would constitute an alarming development for the country’s rivals, because it’s harder to detect such launches in advance. North Korea is believed to have last tested a missile launch from a submarine in May.

The South Korean and Japanese militaries assessed that the latest missiles flew about 217 miles and reached maximum altitudes of 56 to 60 miles before falling into the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed officials to gather and analyze information about the launches and to inform the public quickly, while ensuring the safety of aircraft and ships around Japan and preparing for any contingencies, according to his office.

The Japanese coast guard said it had warned ships around the country about falling objects and urged them to stay away.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the launches didn’t pose any immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to its allies.

But it said the launches highlight “the destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. It said U.S. commitments to the defense of South Korea and Japan remain “ironclad.”

The launches came hours after the United States and South Korea wrapped up a new round of naval drills off the Korean peninsula’s east coast.

The drills involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and its battle group, which returned to the area last week after North Korea fired a powerful missile over Japan to protest the carrier group’s previous training with South Korea.