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North Korea fires two missiles into sea as South Korea wraps up drills

SEOUL: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, while South Korean forces were wrapping up nearly two weeks of exercises aimed at deterring their northern neighbour.

The missile launches, at a time of growing fears that North Korea is preparing its first nuclear test since 2017, were the latest in a year in which North Korea has tested a record number of missiles, whether short-range missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), or others.

The SRBMs were fired from the Tongcheon area in the North’s Gangwon province, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, four days after the neighbours exchanged warning shots off the west coast of the divided peninsula.

Also read: North Korea fires two missiles after US-South Korea drills

“Our military is maintaining full readiness posture,” the JCS said in a statement, adding that it had stepped up monitoring and security while co-ordinating closely with the United States.

The launches did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies, the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

However they “highlight the destabilising impact” of North Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes, it added.

The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan spoke by telephone and condemned the launches as a provocation and violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, South Korea’s foreign ministry said.