North Korea Fires 2 Suspected Short-Range Ballistic Missiles

North Korea reportedly fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday.

This is Pyongyang’s sixth such launch this year.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said today it detected the launches from in and around Hamhung at around 8 a.m. and 8:05 a.m., respectively, and they flew about 190km at a top altitude of 20km.

A military official told Yonhap News Agency that the North is presumed to have set a target on Al Island, an uninhabited island off its east coast. As to the type of missiles fired Thursday, the source said the military authorities are looking into all possibilities, including them being multiple rocket launchers.

South Korea's presidential National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency meeting and called the North's latest launch "very regrettable."

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that it was aware of the "ballistic missile launches" but assessed that it does not pose an immediate threat to its personnel or territory or to its allies.