Missiles fired: They're under attack?

Missiles fired: They're under attack?

The launches occurred just two days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea off Japan's west coast, prompting the US to extend air military exercises with South Korea and separately with Japan on Sunday.

North Korean state media confirmed that Pyongyang fired two missiles from a multiple-barrel rocket launcher, hitting targets at a distance of 395 and 337 kilometers. The 600 mm caliber rocket launcher, which is part of the tactical nuclear weapon, was activated, the state news agency KCNA announced.

Japan's Defense Ministry said two North Korean missiles were fired and reached a maximum height of about 100 and 50 kilometers and fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Reuters reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council due to the launch of North Korean missiles, and Japanese media reported that the meeting was scheduled for today at 20:00 CET. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff strongly condemned the missile launch, calling it a grave provocation that should be stopped immediately.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced today sanctions against four individuals and five institutions linked to Pyongyang's weapons used in its latest missile tests.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said the latest launch did not pose an immediate threat but was destabilizing the region. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric called on Pyongyang to immediately stop provocative actions prohibited by Security Council resolutions and continue dialogue on nuclear disarmament. Sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Yo-jong, warned of an increased presence of US strategic military assets in the region after joint air exercises in the region over the weekend.