North Korea fires two missiles within three hours

North Korea launched two projectiles from its eastern coast on Sunday, including a suspected short-range ballistic missile, in its second round of missile tests in about a week.

South Korea’s military said the first missile was fired from the Wonsan area at around 3pm local time. Japan also identified the projectile as a suspected ballistic missile.

The first missile travelled about 450 kilometres before landing in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to Japanese authorities. Seoul said the weapon was believed to belong to the Hwasong-11 series.

Around three hours later, North Korea launched another unidentified projectile toward the East Sea. South Korean officials said they were assessing the nature and flight details of the second launch.

South Korea and the United States monitored the launches and shared information with Japanese authorities, according to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

South Korea’s National Security Council condemned the missile activity and called on Pyongyang to halt such launches. Officials said the ballistic missile test violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also expressed concern, saying North Korea’s repeated missile launches posed a threat to regional and international security.

The latest launches came amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has repeatedly criticised joint military exercises involving the United States, South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang recently condemned a US-led naval exercise involving Seoul and Tokyo that was held near Guam between August 29 and September 10.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the United States and its allies of worsening tensions through military drills. She said Pyongyang would continue strengthening its nuclear capabilities.

North Korea also rejected a recent resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog concerning its nuclear programme.