North Korea fires launches multiple ballistic missiles into sea ahead of South Korea-Japan summit

North Korea launched another suspected ballistic missile, Japanese officials said on Thursday, local time, hours before a planned summit between South Korean and Japanese leaders.

The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tweeted about the launch. A follow-up tweet said the government was ensuring “the safety of aircraft, ships and other assets” and was taking all possible measures “for vigilance, preparedness for contingencies”.

North Korea tests two cruise missiles from a submarine

A file image of a North Korean rocket alongside a test satellite shows a TV screen during a news event at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, December 31, 2022. The North fired another missile hours before South Korean and Japanese leaders. Was supposed to meet on Thursday. (AP Photo/Lee ​​Jin-man)

The South Korean military said the missile was fired towards the East Sea. The launch came hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kishida met in Tokyo to discuss various issues.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that it also came amid the ongoing South Korea-US Freedom Shield (FS) exercise, which the North has decried as “preparations for a war of aggression”.

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Officials said that on Tuesday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles that landed on the country’s east coast.