N.K fires ballistic missiles towards sea off east coast
North Korea has fired 2 ballistic missile towards the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korean and Japanese officials.
South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff said the launches occurred from the northwestern Tongchang-ri area on Sunday morning.
It said the missiles were fired about 50 minutes apart, but gave no further details.
The Japanese defence ministry also confirmed the launches. It said the missiles flew to an altitude of 550 kilometers and covered a range of 250 kilometers.
Japan's Vice Defence Minister Toshiro Ino said the missiles seemed to have landed outside the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). He said there had been no report of damage from the missiles so far.
The latest launches comes three days after Pyongyang said it tested a 'high-thrust solid-fuel motor' engine, which experts said would allow quicker and more mobile launches of its ballistic missile arsenals.
The test of the new missile engine was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and conducted at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, which has been used to test missile technologies, including rocket engines and space launch vehicles, according to state media.
In current months, North Korea has test-fired a barrage of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles including previous month's launch of its developmental, longest-range liquid-fuelled Hwasong-17 ICBM, which is designed to carry multiple warheads and has been dubbed the 'monster missile'.
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