Seoul’s military said there could have been a launch to test weapons intended for export.
North Korea fired a gust of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off the east coast, what Seoul called a possible test of weapons intended for export, South Korea’s military said.
North Korean forces fired missiles from areas near the city in the Eastern Port between 8:10am (23:10 GMT on Wednesday) and 9:20am (00:20 GMT).
The missile flew up to 500 miles (800 km) before landing in the Sea of Japan, the JSC said.
The release is the fourth round of ballistic missile tests conducted by North Korea this year after several different missile types fired in January and March.
“Our military forces are closely monitoring various North Korean activities under the strong defensive stance of South Korea and the United States to prevent misjudgment (by the North),” the JSC said in a statement.
JSC spokesman Lee Sung Joon said at the briefing that the launch could be to test the “performance or flight stability” of planned missile exports.
Although Lee did not specify which countries would receive the missile, Pyongyang was a key supporter of Russia in the war in Ukraine.
North Korea sent missiles, artillery and about 15,000 soldiers to Russia, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency.
Approximately 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured so far, according to the intelligence agency.
Pyongyang confirmed its deployment for the first time last month, with state media saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “will wipe out and wipe out Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupations and work with Russian troops to liberate the Kursk region.”
North Korea signed a landmark mutual defense treaty with Russia last year after a national visit to its hideaway state by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The missile launch on Thursday also sparked criticism from Japan, with Japanese Defense Minister General Nakatani informing reporters that Tokyo had protested with Pyongyang.
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