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| People watch a TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missiles with a file image in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. (Photo by=AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] North Korea launched ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, prompting condemnation from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. It came two days after the reclusive North test-fired cruise missiles.
South Korea’s military said two rounds of unidentified ballistic missiles were fired into the open waters of the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, according to NBC News. Japan’s Suga condemned the missile launch as “simply outrageous” and said it was a “threat to the peace and security” of the region. The Joint Chief of Staff of South Korea said local and U.S. intelligence services are conducting detailed analysis.
South Korea will be holding an emergency meeting over the ballistic missile launch on Wednesday afternoon, NBC reported. The missile launches come during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Seoul and as top officials from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea meet in Tokyo to discuss the North’s nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, North Korea is also trying to signal that it should be taken seriously by the U.S. and China, and is using “provocative actions” to pressure Beijing not to neglect Pyongyang, said Ryu Yongwook, an assistant professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
