N. Korea fires ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan

TOKYO/SEOUL (Kyodo) -- North Korea fired different types of ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Monday, some flying over 900 kilometers, according to South Korea's military, while Japan said two missiles likely fell outside its exclusive economic zone.

A South Korean military source said the launches, which the Joint Chiefs of Staff said took place near Pyongyang at around 9:20 a.m., were a response to Seoul's first test-firing of a hypersonic missile earlier in the month.

Japan lodged a protest with North Korea through a diplomatic channel and "strongly condemned" the launches that contravened relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, Takashi Koyari, parliamentary vice defense minister, told reporters.

"We are analyzing details, including whether it flew on an irregular trajectory," he said, adding the second missile is estimated to have reached a maximum altitude of 70 km and flown over 910 km.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed government offices to make all-out efforts to gather and analyze information, it with the public quickly and accurately, and ensure safe at sea and in airspace.

The latest launches came after North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Oct. 3.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential younger sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said it was an intermediate-range strategic missile capable of flying on an irregular trajectory, the Korean Central News Agency reported at the time.

Japan and South Korea are both allies of the United States, and North Korea's repeated missile launches and nuclear weapons development have prompted bilateral and trilateral cooperation.

The three countries have urged North Korea to end provocations that threaten regional peace and stability, as ballistic missile launches violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.

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