A ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Monday exhibited an abnormal flight trajectory, possibly endangering the nation’s capital, Pyongyang. The South Korean military reported that one of two missiles fired by the North may have crashed inland after deviating from its intended path. The launches occurred a day after North Korea threatened “offensive and overwhelming” responses to recent U.S.-South Korea-Japan military drills.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the two short-range ballistic missiles fired 10 minutes apart—at 5:05 and 5:15 a.m. local time—from Jangyon in North Korea’s South Hwanghae province. According to their statement, the first missile traveled approximately 600 kilometers (373 miles), landing in the sea near Chongjin, while the second missile flew only about 120 kilometers (75 miles) before possibly crashing near Pyongyang.
JCS spokesperson Lee Sung Joon indicated that the second missile might have exploded during its initial flight stage, scattering debris inland. “There is the possibility that the second launched missile had an abnormal flight in the early stage,”.
The latest launches followed the conclusion of the “Freedom Edge” trilateral drills involving South Korean, American, and Japanese forces, which included missile defense, anti-submarine, and maritime interdiction exercises.
In a statement released Sunday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized the drills, likening them to an “Asian version of NATO” and vowing to defend its sovereignty with “offensive and overwhelming countermeasures.”
Monday’s missile test was North Korea’s first in five days. It followed a launch last week of a missile North Korea claimed could carry multiple warheads, although South Korea dismissed this as a failed test.
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