(CNN) — On Wednesday, North Korea fired at least 10 missiles of different types towards the east and west, South Korea’s defense ministry said.
The launches mark the “first time” that a ballistic missile from Pyongyang has landed near South Korean territorial waters, south of the North’s demarcation line since the division of Korea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). English).
The Joint Chiefs of Staff also issued an airstrike warning on Ulleungdo Island. Authorities previously reported that a short-range ballistic missile fell in international waters, 167 kilometers northwest of the island.
The initial JCS report said North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area of Kangwon Province at around 8:51 a.m. local time on Wednesday. One of them fell into international waters, 26 kilometers south of the northern border line and 57 kilometers east of the South Korean city of Sokcho.
“Our military can never tolerate North Korea’s provocative acts, they have increased vigilance and will respond strictly and firmly in close cooperation with the United States,” the JCS added.
For its part, Japan claimed that North Korea fired at least two ballistic missiles near the country’s east coast at around 8:50 a.m. local time, also on Wednesday, Japanese Defense Minister Yaukazu Hamada told reporters.
Both missiles are estimated to have landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Hamada said.
The first missile was launched eastward from North Korea’s east coast, with an estimated maximum altitude of 150 kilometers and a flight distance of about 150 kilometers, Hanada said. The second missile was fired in a southeasterly direction from North Korea’s east coast, with an estimated maximum altitude of 100 kilometers and a flight of approximately 200 kilometers.
Hamada also said there were no reports of damage to aircraft or vessels at this time. And it is possible that the ballistic missiles flew on an irregular trajectory.
Warning from North Korea
North Korea’s move comes a day after it called on the United States and South Korea to halt large-scale military exercises in the region, a spokesman for the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“The situation on and around the Korean Peninsula has once again entered a stage of serious power conflict due to the continuous and reckless military moves of the United States and South Korea,” the statement said.
South Korea and the United States began a series of large-scale military air exercises on Monday to bolster deterrence against potential North Korean provocations. The exercises will involve more than 100 fighter jets and will take place over South Korean airspace from October 31 to November 4.
The spokesman also warned that the North Korean government could take “stronger retaliatory measures” if the drills continued.