South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area around 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday. It marks back-to-back launches following an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area on Tuesday. The tests came after President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone incursions into the North.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced that North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area around 8:50 a.m. on April 8. This is the North's fourth confirmed ballistic missile launch this year. "Our military maintains a firm readiness posture while closely sharing North Korean ballistic missile information with the U.S. and Japanese sides amid a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches," the JCS said.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area, which disappeared shortly after launch in an apparent failure. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing it.
The back-to-back launches followed President Lee Jae Myung's expression of regret on Monday over drone flights by individuals into North Korea. At a Cabinet meeting, Lee said the incidents "have caused unnecessary military tension with Pyongyang," after prosecutors indicted three people last week for flights between September and January.
Hours later, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stated that the North's head of state assessed Lee as having a "frank and broad-minded" attitude. Still, she warned Seoul "should stop any reckless provocation" against Pyongyang and "refrain from any attempt at contact, instead of paying lip service to the utmost importance of peace and security."
North Korea last fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on March 14 during South Korea-U.S. spring military drills. Pyongyang has yet to issue any report on the recent launches.