North Korea on Thursday fired several ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said, adding to a run of weapons tests that have raised animosity in the region.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons fired from an area around the eastern port city of Wonsan were presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The South’s military didn’t immediately say how far they flew. The Joint Chiefs said the military has strengthened surveillance while sharing the launch information with the United States and Japan.
It was the North’s first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after U.S. and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country’s sixth launch event of the year.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile program and supply weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Thursday’s launch came a day after North Korean state media said Kim urged munition workers to boost the production of artillery shells amid his deepening alignment with Moscow.
After denying its war involvement for months, North Korea last month confirmed for the first time that it had sent combat troops to help Russia in recapturing parts of the Kursk region, which had fallen to a surprise Ukrainian incursion last year.
Recent South Korean intelligence assessments suggest that North Korea has sent about 15,000 soldiers to Russia, and that nearly 5,000 of them have been killed or injured while fighting against Ukrainian forces. Washington and Seoul have also accused North Korea of supplying Russia with various types of military equipment, including artillery systems and shells and ballistic missiles.
