Pyongyang fires ballistic missiles into eastern waters
(VOVWORLD) - North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday morning into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
 North Korea fires intercontinental ballistic missile, the solid-fuel Hwasong-18, on July 12,2023. (Photo: Yonhap/VNA)
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The detailed specifications of these missiles are being analyzed by intelligence authorities of South Korean and the US, said the JCS.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missiles flew some 600 kilometers with a peak altitude of 50 kilometers and apparently fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. He said they may have traveled on an irregular trajectory.
Both South Korea and Japan condemned the latest launch by North Korea, which took place one day after South Korea and the US held the first Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Seoul on Tuesday.
The same day the White House announced that an American nuclear submarine is making a port visit to Busan for the first time since 1981 to affirm its commitment to Seoul for extended deterrence guarantee.
The event comes less than a week after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the launch of the North’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, the solid-fuel Hwasong-18.