SEOUL, October 28. /TASS/. The North Korean military test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan on Friday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported citing the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
According to the report, the launches were carried out between 11:59 and 12:18 local time (from 05:59 to 06:18 Moscow time), from the Tongchon county of the Kangwon province.
The launches were carried out on the last day of South Korea’s major field training exercise, Hoguk, which began on October 17. On Monday, the South Korean Navy began large-scale naval maneuvers in the Sea of Japan with the participation of 20 vessels. The drills were heavily criticized by the North Korean media.
Meanwhile, the Kyodo news agency reported that the presumed ballistic missile launched on Friday splashed down in the Sea of Japan, outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. No damage has been reported so far.
The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the Defense Ministry of Japan continue to gather and analyze information about the launch. According to the Japanese authorities, the projectile fired on Friday could be a short-range ballistic missile.
It was the 28th missile launch of North Korea this year, as Pyongyang stepped up its missile activities in the past few weeks. The previous launch took place on October 14, when a short-range ballistic missile was fired.