South Korea’s army said it suspected that the first rocket was fired around 7:40 a.m. local time (11:40 p.m. CET) from the Sunan district of the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The two missiles fired later were believed to have taken off from the town of Kaechon at around 8:39 a.m. local time. The South Korean army remains “on full alert”, working “closely with the US” and increasing “surveillance and vigilance”.
North Korea had already fired 23 missiles on Wednesday, significantly escalating tensions with South Korea. According to the South Korean army, one of the missiles had crossed the de facto maritime border between North and South Korea. According to the General Staff, it came “closest than any missile since the end of the Korean War in 1953” to South Korean territorial waters, hitting the sea just 57 kilometers east of mainland South Korea.
North Korea’s missile launches come as the US and South Korea hold their largest-ever joint air exercises dubbed “Vigilant Storm.” Hundreds of combat aircraft from both countries are involved in the maneuver.
Washington and Seoul have been warning for months that North Korea could conduct a nuclear weapons test in the near future. It would be the first such test since 2017. North Korea has carried out six nuclear weapons tests since 2006.