Tokyo/Seoul

North Korea fired apparent missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday afternoon, in its first such action since Oct. 31 and 13th this year, Japanese and South Korean officials said.

Two projectiles were launched from South Hamgyong Province in eastern North Korea around 4:59 p.m. (7:59 a.m. GMT), according to the South Korean military.

The latest firing came after the South Korean government Friday suspended its August decision to scrap its military information-sharing pact with Japan.

The projectiles, which were apparently ballistic missiles, are believed to have fallen into waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to the Japanese government.

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters they reached an altitude of about 100 kilometers and traveled 380 kilometers. No damage to Japanese aircraft or ships was confirmed, he also said.

The projectiles were presumably launched from a superlarge rocket launcher, the South Korean officials said.

Over the incident, the Japanese government made a protest to North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing. It also held a National Security Council meeting at the prime minister’s office.

“The repeated firing of ballistic missiles is a grave challenge to not just our country but the international community,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters.

“We’ll put all our efforts into exercising vigilance and conducting surveillance to protect the people’s lives and assets while continuing to cooperate with the international community including the United States and South Korea,” Abe said.

Kono declined to confirm whether Tokyo and Seoul shared information on the North Korean firing under the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA. The pact would have expired last week without Seoul’s suspension of the decision to end it.

“We don’t disclose any information exchanges under GSOMIA,” he said.

Through the latest firing, North Korea may have intended to test trilateral cooperation among Tokyo, Seoul and Washington after GSOMIA, a symbol of the three-way cooperation, was saved at the last minute, observers said.

Pyongyang also may have tried to press Washington to meet its demand that Washington retract its hostile policy toward North Korea and halt joint military drills with South Korea.

Jiji Press