UPDATE - North Korea Fires 8 Short-Range Ballistic Missiles - Reports

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2022) Pyongyang test-fired a total of eight short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reports citing the South Korean military.

Earlier on Sunday, Yonhap reported citing an informed South Korean source that North Korea appeared to have fired multiple ballistic missiles from at least two locations toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday. Meanwhile, the South Korean military announced that North Korea had launched one unidentified ballistic missile.

In a later update, Yonhap said citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) that Pyongyang test-fired eight short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from at least two locations on Sunday, toward the Sea of Japan.

The launches were carried out between 9:08 a.m. (00:08 GMT) to 9:43 a.m. from areas around Sunan in Pyongyang, according to the South Korean military.

South Korea's National Security Council will meet later on Sunday to discuss North Korea's test launches, Yonhap said, citing the presidential office.

The Japanese coast guard warned of a possible North Korean missile launch on Sunday morning, advising ships to exercise caution.

Japanese media reported that the missile likely fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed all the relevant ministries on Sunday to carry out a detailed analysis of the situation in connection with the test-firing. According to Kishida, Japan has sent its protest to North Korea over the latest test-launches.

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters on Sunday that North Korea launched at least six missiles, with a range of 300 to 400 kilometers (186-249 miles) and a maximum flight altitude of 50 to 100 kilometers (31-62 miles). The tested missiles possibly included ones with a variable flight trajectory.

According to the Kyodo news agency, US, Japanese and South Korean representatives discussed North Korea's latest test-firing over the phone on Sunday.

The US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement that it was aware of North Korea's "multiple ballistic missile launches" and was consulting closely with allies and partners. INDOPACOM said that the test launches did not pose a threat to the US.

The Sunday test-firing is Pyongyang's 18th missile test since the start of this year.