Overview
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several ballistic missiles were launched from near Pyongyang at about 7:50 a.m. local time toward the country’s eastern waters.
- Japan’s defense ministry reported suspected launches and assessed trajectories outside its exclusive economic zone with no immediate damage reported.
- Seoul said it reinforced surveillance and is closely sharing information with the United States and Japan.
- The firings were North Korea’s first ballistic missile launches of the year and the first in about two months after a short-range test on Nov. 7.
- The timing coincided with President Lee Jae Myung’s departure for a state visit to China and followed Kim Jong-un’s directives to expand production of tactical guided weapons ahead of a party congress.