Seoul (Times Of Ocean)- The military of South Korea reports that North Korea fired four rockets into the Yellow Sea on Sunday.
South Korea’s National Security Council holds an emergency meeting, vows to maintain a firm defense readiness posture.
The shots were fired at around 7:20 a.m. (2220GMT on Saturday) from “an unspecified location in South Pyongan Province,” Yonhap News Agency quoted South Korean officials as saying.
A series of missile tests by North Korea this year, including a newly developed hypersonic missile, have exacerbated tensions in the region.
This past Wednesday, Pyongyang fired yet another ballistic missile, which South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said failed to reach a certain altitude during the launch phase.
The National Security Council (NSC) of South Korea held an emergency meeting on Sunday, in which officials “emphasized the need to maintain a strong defense readiness posture,” according to the Yonhap news agency.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea launched an apparent ballistic missile earlier this month that flew approximately 270 kilometers (168 miles) at a height of 550 kilometers (342 miles).
South Korean officials claimed last week that North Korea has begun reopening tunnels at a nuclear site that were closed in 2018.
Kim Jong Un had threatened in January that Pyongyang would consider resuming “all temporarily suspended” defense activities to bolster its defenses against the US, referring to a self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles since 2017.
North Korea’s Kim also announced last week that it will launch a number of reconnaissance satellites “to keep a close watch on” military actions by the US and its allies in the region.
Those remarks came a day after South Korea elected Yoon Suk-yeol as its new president, who has indicated he will be tougher on Pyongyang and vowed to strengthen Seoul’s strategic alliance with Washington.