North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles towards sea, Seoul says

The missiles were launched from the Wonsan area at around 5:20am local time and travelled approximately 250 kilometres before falling

SEOUL: North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles towards waters off its eastern coast on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, amid heightened tensions following recent joint military exercises involving South Korea, Japan and the United States.

The missiles were launched from the Wonsan area at around 5:20am local time and travelled approximately 250 kilometres before falling towards the sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

South Korean and US intelligence agencies detected the launches from the beginning and were jointly examining the missiles’ technical characteristics. Information about the launches was also shared with Japan.

South Korea’s military said it was closely monitoring developments in North Korea and maintaining a strong state of readiness under its combined defence arrangements with Washington. Seoul warned that it remained prepared to respond to any further provocation.

Following the launches, South Korea’s presidential National Security Office held an emergency meeting attended by senior officials from the defence ministry, the JCS and other relevant agencies. Officials assessed the security implications of the missile tests and discussed possible government responses.

The South Korean government urged Pyongyang to halt ballistic missile launches, describing them as a serious violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

US Pacific Command also confirmed that it was aware of the launches and was coordinating with regional allies and partners. It said its initial assessment indicated that the missiles did not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, territory or allied countries.

The latest launches came a day after South Korea, Japan and the United States completed joint military drills focused on strengthening their preparedness against North Korea’s missile and nuclear capabilities.

North Korea also conducted a series of short-range ballistic missile launches last month and ordered its armed forces to remain on heightened readiness during the US-South Korean exercises.

Tensions have continued to evolve as Washington weighs its military posture in the region. US President Donald Trump recently reduced the scale of some military exercises, describing them as hostile to Pyongyang, while indicating that he expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.I can also make this shorter and more punchy for a web-news format, with a 6–8 word headline.