North Korea fires around 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards Sea of Japan

North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile on Thursday afternoon, with South Korean authorities later saying they had detected around 10 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) fired from the Pyongyang area towards the Sea of Japan.

The launch was detected at about 5pm Korean Standard Time (KST), according to Japan’s defence ministry. The Japanese authorities issued an alert through the Japan Coast Guard at 5.08pm, warning vessels to remain alert for possible falling objects.

An updated alert issued 11 minutes later said the missile appeared to have already fallen, indicating that the projectile was not a long-range missile.

South Korea detects around 10 short-range missiles

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s office later said the Republic of Korea (ROK) military had detected around 10 SRBMs launched from the Pyongyang area.

The missiles landed in the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea in South Korea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told local media that the missiles travelled about 300 kilometres.

The information released so far did not identify the specific missile systems involved. Japanese and South Korean military authorities were expected to provide further details, including the suspected missile types and flight distances.

Launch coincides with Wang Yi’s Seoul visit

The missile launch took place as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul.

The timing placed the launch alongside high-level diplomatic discussions between China and South Korea.

Lee’s office confirmed that the South Korean military detected the missiles from the Pyongyang area and monitored their flight towards the Sea of Japan.

The Japanese defence ministry separately issued maritime warnings following the launch.

Third North Korean missile launch this month

The test appears to be North Korea’s third missile launch in August, according to NK News.

The previous two launches took place on August 6 and August 12. Both involved suspected short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast.

The August 6 launch was reported as an unidentified projectile fired towards the East Sea, while the August 12 test was described as another suspected missile launch.

North Korean state media did not report either of the two earlier tests, leaving the precise missile systems involved unclear.

The latest launch was also yet to be officially reported by North Korean state media at the time of the NK News report.

Further details expected from Japan and South Korea

Japanese and South Korean military authorities were expected to release additional information about Thursday’s launch, including assessments of the missile types, flight distances and other technical details.

The initial Japanese alert indicated that the projectile had already fallen shortly after the launch, while South Korean authorities identified the launches as involving around 10 short-range ballistic missiles.

The missiles were reported to have travelled approximately 300 kilometres before landing in the Sea of Japan.