North Korea fires multiple short-range missiles in protest at US, Japan and South Korea military drills
People watch a TV news report on North Korea's latest missiles launches. (Reuters: Kim Hong-Ji )
In short:
North Korea fired seven missiles off its east coast.
The latest launch follows its test last week of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.
What's next?
It comes as more than 10,000 North Korean troops arrive in Russia.
North Korea has fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, Japan's defence minister said, soon after Pyongyang condemned military drills by its rivals.
At least seven missiles flew to an altitude of 100 kilometres and covered a range of 400 kilometres.
They then fell just outside Japan's exclusive economic zone into the ocean, Japan's Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said.
The missiles were fired about 7:30am on Tuesday from the vicinity of Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister condemned the drills involving the United States, Japan and South Korea, in a report published on state media KCNA.
The US was consulting closely with South Korea, Japan and other regional allies after the launches, and continued to monitor the situation, its military said.
Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Choe Son Hui during a meeting in Moscow. (Reuters: Sputnik/Mikhail Tereshchenko/Pool )
The latest launch follows North Korea's test last week of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) dubbed Hwasong-19.
The missile launch also came after Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly met North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on Monday.
"If the ICBM was meant for the US, the latest ballistic missiles are for South Korea," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"Directly, it is to protest the joint air drills by South Korea, US and Japan. Indirectly it is to show off their presence last minute before the US presidential election," said Mr Yang.
He also saw the intent as to deflect the international community's attention away from criticising the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in Russia to support its war against Ukraine, South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday.
"We understand that more than 10,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia, and a significant number of them have moved to the frontline areas including Kursk," Jeon Ha-kyou, a spokesperson for Seoul's defence ministry, told a briefing, citing intelligence authorities.
Reuters