North Korea fires several short-range missiles, South Korea military says

SEOUL/TOKYO - North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday.

The missiles were fired at around 7:30 a.m. KST on Tuesday (2230 GMT on Monday) from around Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province in North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding it was closely sharing information with the United States and Japan while bolstering surveillance.

The launch was also flagged by the Japanese government. Japan's coast guard said the projectile believed to be a ballistic missile fired by North Korea had already fallen, and NHK reported it appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone in the ocean.

The latest launch follows North Korea's test last week of a huge new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed Hwasong-19, and comes hours before voting opens in the US presidential election.

North Korean state media KCNA on Tuesday published a report in which Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, condemned recent military drills by the United States, Japan and South Korea as threats and said they justify North Korea's nuclear reinforcement.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun noted late last month that North Korea "would want to exaggerate their existence around the season of the US presidential election before and after the election" by show of force such as an intercontinental missile test or another nuclear test. —Reuters