North Korea resumes missile tests, raising tensions with rivals

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Monday, days after the end of U.S.-South Korean military drills.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Monday morning, its neighbors said, days after the end of U.S.-South Korean military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary session that North Korea fired “a number of” ballistic missiles into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. He said the missiles fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone and no damage or injuries had been reported.

Kishida denounced North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile tests as acts “that threaten the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international society.” He said Japan strongly protested against North Korea over its testing activities, saying they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the North from engaging in any ballistic activities.

South Korea’s military said it also detected “several” suspected short-range ballistic launches by North Korea on Monday morning. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean military bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the United States and Japan.

Monday’s launches were the North’s first known missile testing activities since it carried out cruise missile launches in mid-February.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-resumes-ballistic-missile-tests-rcna143808

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