North Korea launched two more ballistic missiles on Saturday, according to South Korean authorities, marking the country’s seventh round of weapons tests in the last two weeks.
The two short-range ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of North Korea’s eastern waters just before 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to a statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The latest launch came just hours after the United States and South Korea completed another round of joint military drills.
The U.S. and South Korea had initially conducted joint missile drills on Tuesday, after North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Monday. The launch prompted Japanese officials to tell citizens to seek shelter.
The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier was also sent to the Sea of Japan following Monday’s launch. The aircraft carrier participated in the latest wargames with South Korea on Friday and Saturday.
The Biden administration additionally announced new sanctions on Friday that took aim at North Korea’s weapons supply network, sanctioning two individuals and three entities for exporting petroleum to North Korea.
Following Saturday’s launch, the Japanese prime minister’s office instructed officials to gather and analyze information about the launch and quickly and accurately inform the public about it, as well as to ensure the safety of assets including aircraft and ships and “take all possible measures for precaution.” <AP>
