South Korea’s military has said that North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters this morning.
The launch adds to a recent series of weapons demonstrations that have heightened tensions amid a prolonged freeze in diplomatic engagement.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, where the country has used its airport as a major launch site in recent years.
Japan’s Defence Ministry said it had detected at least two missiles and assessed that they had landed in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The launch came days after South Korea flight-tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon on Friday.
While maintaining a hard-line stance towards Seoul, North Korea has stepped up weapons testing as it seeks to expand its arsenal of nuclear-capable systems.
These include an October 3 test of what Pyongyang described as a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defences in South Korea and Japan.
The rising tensions have posed a challenge for South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who favours engagement with North Korea.
Lee has also called for strengthening South Korea’s conventional defence capabilities while reducing its reliance on the United States.