A South Korean soldiers walks past a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast, in Seoul, South Korea, September 25, 2022. REUTERS
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early on Sunday, authorities in neighbouring countries said, the seventh such launch by Pyongyang in recent days that added to widespread alarm in Washington and its allies in Tokyo and Seoul.
Officials in the South Korean capital have said the uptick in the North's missile launches could signal it is closer than ever to resuming nuclear testing for the first time since 2017, with preparations observed at its test site for months.
Both of Sunday's missiles reached an altitude of 100 km (60 miles) and covered 350 km (218 miles), Japan's state minister of defence, Toshiro Ino, told reporters.
The first was fired at about 1:47 a.m. (1647 GMT) and the second some six minutes later.
They fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, and authorities were looking into what type they were, including the possibility that they were submarine-launched ballistic missiles, he added.
The U.S. military said it was consulting closely with allies and partners following the launches, which it said highlighted the "destabilizing impact" of the North Korean nuclear arms and ballistic missile programs.
Still, the United States assessed that the latest launches did not pose a threat to U.S. personnel or American allies.
"The U.S. commitments to the defence of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad," the Hawaii-based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
The latest missile launches from the Muncheon area on North Korea's east coast are a "serious provocation" that harms peace, South Korean authorities said.
