INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early on Sunday, authorities in neighbouring countries said, the seventh such launch by Pyongyang
in recent days that added to widespread alarm in Washington and its allies in Tokyo and Seoul, Reuters reported.Officials in the South
Korean capital have said the uptick in the North&s missile launches could signal it is closer than ever to resuming nuclear testing for the
first time since 2017, with preparations observed at its test site for months.Both of Sunday&s missiles reached an altitude of 100 km (60
miles) and covered 350 km (218 miles), Japan&s state minister of defence, Toshiro Ino, told reporters.According to Reuters the first was
(1647 GMT) and the second some six minutes later.They fell outside Japan&s exclusive economic zone, and authorities were looking into what
type they were, including the possibility that they were submarine-launched ballistic missiles, he added.The US military said it was
consulting closely with allies and partners following the launches, which it said highlighted the &destabilizing impact& of the North Korean
nuclear arms and ballistic missile programs, read the report.Still, the United States assessed that the latest launches did not pose a
threat to US personnel or American allies.The US commitments to the defence of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad,& the
Hawaii-based United States Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.The latest missile launches from the Muncheon area on North Korea&s
east coast are a &serious provocation& that harms peace, South Korean authorities said.On Tuesday, North Korea test-fired a ballistic
missile farther than ever before, sending it soaring over Japan for the first time in five years and prompting a warning to residents there
to take cover, Reuters reported.Ino said Tokyo would not tolerate the repeated actions by North Korea
The incident was the seventh such launch since Sept
25.Japan&s foreign ministry said the nuclear envoys of the United States, South Korea and Japan held a telephone call and shared the view
that the North&s ballistic missile launches threatened the peace and security of the region and the international community, besides posing
a civil aviation risk.North Korea, which has pursued missile and nuclear tests in defiance of U.N
sanctions, said on Saturday its missile tests were for self-defence against direct US military threats and had not harmed the safety of
neighbours.Our missile tests are a normal, planned self-defence measure to protect our country&s security and regional peace from direct
United States military threats,& said state media KCNA, citing an aviation administration spokesperson.South Korea and the United States
held joint maritime exercises on Friday, a day after Seoul scrambled fighter jets in reaction to an apparent North Korean bombing drill.The
United States also announced new sanctions on Friday in response to North Korea&s latest missile launches.The post N
Korea fires two ballistic missiles first appeared on Ariana News.
