North Korea fired off at least two apparent ballistic missiles on Monday, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a multinational democracy summit.
Both missiles appeared to have fallen into the Sea of Japan just minutes after their launches some thirty minutes apart, authorities said, with the weapons likely landing in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its coast.
South Korea’s military also confirmed the launches, the North’s first firing of ballistic missiles since Jan. 14, when it tested what it said was a solid-fueled intermediate range ballistic missile.
Pyongyang has conducted military exercises in recent days, with leader Kim Jong Un observing paratrooper drills and even getting behind the controls of a new battle tank.
Those exercises come on the heels of large-scale joint U.S.-South Korean military drills that wrapped up on Thursday.
The North has conducted a spate of weapons tests this year, including launches of new strategic cruise missiles and submarine-launched weapons designed to carry small nuclear bombs.
In recent months, Kim has also stepped up his rhetoric against the South, labeling Seoul Pyongyang’s “primary enemy” and abolishing agencies focused on reunification, while also threatening to enshrine in his country’s constitution a goal of “completely occupying, subjugating and reclaiming” its southern neighbor.
The unusual rhetorical shift has prompted some longtime North Korea observers to say that Kim, disillusioned with diplomacy, is girding for conflict.
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