North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea says

Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, South Korean officials said, the latest in an unprecedented year of weapons testing.

The missiles were fired from the Sunan area of ​​Pyongyang around 4:32 p.m. local time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Friday. He added that the two missiles were launched in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Japan’s coast guard said it believed a ballistic missile had fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, citing information from the country’s defense ministry.

This marks the 36th day North Korea has fired missiles this year alone, often launching multiple weapons at once.

Under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, the isolated nation has aggressively stepped up missile testing, with US and South Korean experts warning that Pyongyang may be preparing for a nuclear test – which would be the first in more than five years.

Earlier this year, satellite images showed activity at its underground nuclear test site.

This is a developing story. More soon …