North Korea tests ballistic missiles after US, S.Korea and Japan conclude drills
ALBAWABA - A day after North Korea's "offensive and overwhelming" responses to the latest international US-South Korea-Japan drill, N.Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles Monday but one of them possibly flew abnormally.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated in a statement that the missiles were fired from the town of Jangyon in southeast North Korea ten minutes apart in a northeastern direction.
Although the first missile's flight distance was stated as 600 kilometers and the second as 120 kilometers, the landing location was not specified. The second missile's flight path was too short to reach North Korea's eastern seas, where it usually launches missile tests.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later told a briefing that the second missile may have had an abnormal trajectory during its first stage.
Lee stated that if the missile burst, the debris would most likely have strewn over the ground, however, no damage was immediately recorded. He noted that more examination of the second missile launch was underway.
South Korean media, citing anonymous South Korean military officials, stated that the second missile most likely crashed in the North's territories. According to reports, the first missile landed in waters off Chongjin, North Korea's eastern metropolis.
The launches occurred two days after South Korea, the United States, and Japan concluded their new multidomain trilateral drills in the region.
In recent years, the three nations have strengthened their trilateral security alliance to better address North Korea's escalating nuclear threats and China's growing "assertiveness" in the area.
The "Freedom Edge" drill was designed to enhance earlier exercises by combining air and naval maneuvers aimed at enhancing combined ballistic-missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, and other capacities.
The three-day practice included a US aircraft carrier as well as destroyers, fighter fighters, and helicopters from all three countries.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).