Tensions rise between the two Koreas as Kim fires a barrage of missiles into the sea
The tests – around ten in number – come following the recent deployment of artillery pieces near the border with the South. An emergency meeting has been called in Seoul
from our correspondent Marco Masciaga
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NEW DELHI – A few days after deploying new artillery pieces along the border and announcing the imminent resumption of propaganda broadcasts near the border with the South, North Korea launched a barrage of ballistic missiles which, after travelling some 250 kilometres, plunged into the sea.
On Thursday morning, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul announced that it had detected the launch of around 10 short-range missiles from the North Korean eastern coastal city of Wonsan. Following the detection, the South Korean armed forces stepped up their surveillance, whilst President Lee Jae Myung convened an emergency meeting.
“South Korea, the United States and Japan are sharing information on North Korea’s ballistic missiles, whilst maintaining a state of full operational readiness,” the JCS said in a statement.
In recent days, the North Korean armed forces had deployed a Howitzer in plain view near the border, whilst on Thursday – according to reports from the South Korean news agency Yonhap – the first tests were carried out on the loudspeakers with which the Pyongyang government intends to ‘blast’ propaganda across the border. South Korea dismantled its system for broadcasting audio messages across the border months ago.
Thursday’s missile launches follow the surprise visit to China made last weekend by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Officially, Kim crossed the border to pay tribute to the Chinese soldiers who fell in the Korean War.
