• South Korea’s military reports North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.
• The launch was condemned as a provocation by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• Japan’s NHK reported a short-range missile had already fallen.

On Friday, South Korea’s military reported that North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast, following joint drills with the US and South Korea involving stealth fighter jets simulating air combat.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea condemned the launch as a provocation, stating that the projectiles were fired from the east coast town of Wonsan and traveled about 300 km (186 miles) before landing in the sea.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, citing a government official, reported that a short-range missile appeared to have been launched and had already fallen.

In recent months, North Korea has launched ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as tactical rockets, describing them as part of a program to upgrade its defensive capabilities.

Although South Korea’s military did not specify the latest type of weapon, North Korea’s state media has reported that its military has been testing multiple launch rocket systems that are being upgraded.

State media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un viewed the testing of 600 mm “super-large” multiple rocket launchers and 240 mm multiple launch rockets in recent weeks, and also visited production facilities.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased since the North scrapped a 2018 pact aimed at de-escalating tensions near the military border drawn up under a truce ending the 1950-53 Korean War and then labeled the South as “enemy No. 1” last year.

Earlier on Friday, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader, stated that its tactical weapons were intended solely as a deterrent against South Korean military aggression, while again denying that Pyongyang was exporting the weapons.

US and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of shipping weapons to Russia to help Moscow replenish stocks for use in its war against Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusation.

Friday’s missile launches coincide with a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Chinese northeastern city of Harbin.

Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping criticized Washington and its allies on Thursday, labeling it as “intimidation in the military sphere” against North Korea at a meeting in Beijing.

South Korea’s air force reported that US and South Korean stealth fighters conducted “intense” joint exercises on Thursday in the central region to test and enhance offensive and defensive maneuverability.

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