Arab News

North Korea launched multiple short-range projectiles into the sea on Monday as part of ongoing firing drills, a week after it resumed missile tests following a three-month break, South Korea's military said.

The projectiles included artillery fired from a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) and flew up to 200 kms (124 miles) and reached 50 km in altitude, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The projectiles seem to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

According to the South Korean military, North Korea conducted a joint strike training involving various types of radiation guns as part of the winter training following February 28 and March 2. It initially announced that it had fired three shots, but details are being analyzed. The flight distance was up to about 200 km and the altitude was up to about 50 km.

The Japanese government also emphasized, "Repeated firing is a serious issue for the entire international community, including Japan."

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made every effort to gather and analyze information and has ordered that aircraft and ships be thoroughly checked for safety and to prepare for contingencies.

According to a twitter post of the PM’s office of Japan, Abe has instructed that information be shared speedily with the public to ensure security.

https://twitter.com/JPN_PMO/status/1236797041923121152?s=20

A senior US government official said, "We are keeping an eye on the situation and talking with our allies, Japan and South Korea."　

Five members of the UN Security Council in Europe have been accused of being an "obvious violation" of a Security Council resolution that banned missile development after launch on Monday. A North Korean Foreign Affairs spokesman disagreed with the warning, saying, "It will be a squib that triggers another serious reaction for us."

*With JIJI Press/Reuters