On Tuesday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, according to South Korea's military. The launch occurred as South Korea and the United States were conducting joint military drills, their largest in years. The missiles were fired from the western coast of South Hwanghae province and flew about 620 kilometres. Japan said it was collecting information on the missile but had not confirmed any damage related to the launch. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated that the missiles did not pose an immediate threat to its personnel, territory, or allies but emphasised that North Korea's weapons programmes were destabilising. South Korea's military strongly condemned the launch as a grave provocation and violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
The launch came two days after North Korea test-fired two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine and less than a week after the country's leader ordered the military to intensify drills. South Korea and the U.S. began 11 days of joint drills on Monday, which North Korea has long criticised as a rehearsal for invasion. On Sunday, North Korean state media reported that the country had decided to take "important practical" war deterrence measures. The U.S. National Security Adviser stated that the U.S. would not be deterred by any steps taken by North Korea and would safeguard stability on the Korean Peninsula. The United States plans to hold an informal meeting of United Nations Security Council members on human-rights abuses in North Korea, which has been denounced by North Korea's foreign ministry.
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