South Korea’s military says North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles less than two weeks after its last test.
Sunday’s test lasted 35 minutes, with the missiles fired consecutively from the Sunan area near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the launch “cannot be tolerated”.
It is not clear how far the missile flew.
The news comes just a day after South Korea and the US wrapped up three days of drills off the Japanese island of Okinawa.
The exercise involved the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
North Korea describes such drills as an example of the “hostile policies” of the US towards it.
US Special Representative Sung Kim was also present in the region, meeting with his counterparts from South Korea and Japan to prepare for “all contingencies” amid concerns that Pyongyang could soon proceed. First nuclear test since 2017.
Kim insisted the US was open in its diplomatic relations with North Korea, even saying this included talks on easing sanctions.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is balancing missile tests with the COVID-19 outbreak
Sunday’s missile test was North Korea’s 18th this year.
The last time was on May 25th, when it launched three rocketsincluding its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17.
That prompted a US resolution in the UN Security Council calling for more sanctions, although this was vetoed by Russia and China.
US-North Korea talks have made no progress since 2019 – US wants signs of disarmament, but North Korea refuses to take such steps while sanctions remain in place present.
Despite the frosty relationships, The US has provided aid to North Korea in the fight against COVID-19as the country continues to battle its first known outbreak since the pandemic began.
More than 73,000 people were reported to have fever symptoms as of Saturday.
