North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectiles’ into East Sea

Seoul [South Korea]: North Korea fired unidentified projectiles into the East Sea on Saturday morning, South Korea’s military said, the seventh such launch in less than a month.

Quoting the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Yonhap news agency reported that the projectiles were launched from the eastern province of South Hamgyong.
“Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,” it said.

Following the missile launch, spokesperson for South Korea’s presidential office said Seoul will hold an emergency National Security Council (NSC) session at 8:30 a.m. (local time) to discuss North Korea’s latest firing of unidentified projectiles.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has said that the development came a day after Seoul severed a key intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo, The Japan Times reported.

Details about the launch were not immediately available, but it did not affect Japan’s security and did not land in the country’s exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the Defence Ministry.

In a stunning move that could further upend already fraying ties between Japan and South Korea, Seoul on Friday scrapped the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Tokyo, with the South’s presidential Blue House saying in a statement that it did not meet Seoul’s “national interests” to maintain the deal amid the intensifying spat between the two neighbours.