North Korea launched several ballistic missiles towards the sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, just hours before President Lee Jae Myung was due to depart for talks in China expected to address the North's nuclear programme.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launches from the North's capital region at around 7.50am local time. The missiles travelled approximately 900 kilometres, with Japan's defence ministry reporting altitudes of 50,000 metres and distances of 900 and 950 kilometres for two projectiles.
Seoul's national security council convened an emergency meeting, calling the launch a provocative act violating UN Security Council resolutions. Japan's defence minister described the test as 'absolutely intolerable' for threatening regional peace. Both countries are coordinating with the US.
The launch coincides with a planned visit by President Lee to Beijing, where he hopes to leverage China's influence over Pyongyang. One analyst suggested US military operations against Venezuela may have influenced the timing, reflecting North Korea's longstanding fear of precision strikes against its leadership.
North Korea's next ballistic missile test comes ahead of a landmark ruling party congress, its first in five years. Leader Kim Jong-un has ordered a 250% expansion of missile production capacity, state media reported, after visiting a facility producing tactical guided weapons.
