North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles toward East Sea

Following series of recent provocations, Pyongyang’s military warning continues on the last day of 2022

People watch news of North Korea firing three ballistic missiles at Seoul Station on Saturday. (Yonhap)

North Korea fired three short range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday.

According to the JCS’s announcement, the S. Korean military detected the launch of the missiles from Chunghwa County in North Hwanghae Province at around 8 a.m. The JCS said the missiles flew about 350 kilometers before falling into the East Sea.

“Bolstering the surveillance and vigilance, our military is maintaining readiness with the close cooperation between S. Korea and the US,” the JCS said in a statement.

The US Indo-Pacific Command also released a statement, saying that the launch does not pose an immediate threat to the US or its allies.

"We are aware of the ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. The missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of (North Korea's) unlawful (weapons of mass destruction) and ballistic missile programs," it said.

Pyongyang’s provocation came a day after the S. Korean military successfully conducted a test launch of solid-fuel space rockets. The Defense Ministry said Friday night that the test was carried out to strengthen national defense capabilities, such as independent space-based surveillance and reconnaissance.

North Korea previously fired two short range ballistic missiles from Sunan area in Pyongyang on Dec. 23. Earlier this week, N. Korea’s five unmanned aerial vehicles on Monday crossed south of the military demarcation line and flew over Seoul and the inter-Korean border area. The South Korean military failed to shoot down any of the five North Korean UAVs.

By Kan Hyeong-woo(hwkan@heraldcorp.com)