North Korea launched two ballistic missiles on Friday for the first time in two weeks, coinciding with the last day of South Korea’s annual “Hoguk” military drills.
The South Korean military detected the short-range missiles in the Tongchon region, on the east coast of North Korea nearing its southern neighbor.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missiles flew at 140 miles at a maximum altitude of 15 miles, according to The Associated Press.
The military organization condemned the missile launches, which it called “a grave provocation” and accused of breaching UN Security Council resolutions.
The southern country’s foreign ministry weighed in on the situation, reporting that it held talks with allies Japan and the U.S. following the launches aimed at strengthening a coalition against North Korea’s weapons tests.
The “Hoguk” field exercises, which lasted for twelve days, included some American troops along with the South Korean military.
“While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs,” wrote the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) in a statement.
The USINDOPACOM added that its commitments to South Korea and Japan “remain ironclad.”
