Seoul, Jan 29: North Korea has fired what appeared to be two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, Tokyo said. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also said it detected a “projectile” being fired towards what Seoul calls the East Sea. Japan’s coast guard, citing the Defense Ministry, said it had detected two ballistic missiles and that both had already fallen.
Japanese news agency GG Press, citing Defense Ministry sources, reported that the two missiles fell outside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The incident came a day after a high-level visit to Seoul by the Pentagon’s third-in-command, Elbridge Colby, praised South Korea as a “model ally.” North Korea has significantly increased its missile testing in recent years.
Analysts say the campaign aims to improve precision strike capabilities, challenge the United States and South Korea, and test the weapons before exporting them to Russia. Pyongyang is set to hold a landmark congress of its ruling party in the coming weeks, its first in five years.
Ahead of that conference, leader Kim Jong Un ordered the “expansion” and modernization of the country’s missile production.