Launch comes 9 days after Oct. 3 firing; 4 days after South Korea disclosed hypersonic glide vehicle test
Cheong Wa Dae said Monday it convened an emergency security situation review meeting of the National Security Office in response to North Korea's ballistic missile launches.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said in a press notice Monday morning that North Korea had fired several ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the Donghae, prompting the National Security Office to hold the emergency meeting with South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other relevant agencies.
The National Security Office used the meeting to again review South Korea's readiness posture and security situation in light of North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile launches, and urged that all necessary preparations be made, the official said.
The office also analyzed and assessed the impact of the latest launch on South Korea's security and issued instructions on measures requiring action, the official added.
"North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches constitute a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and are a grave act that does nothing to help manage the current situation on the Korean Peninsula," the official said, urging Pyongyang to halt the launches immediately.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired ballistic missiles toward the Donghae on Monday morning. It was the first launch in nine days, and the Joint Chiefs said they were analyzing the specifications and range of the projectiles.
Earlier, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area toward the Donghae on Oct. 3, traveling more than 700 kilometers.
The latest launch is seen as a response to a landmine explosion involving North Korean troops in the Demilitarized Zone. It also came four days after the South Korean government disclosed a test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle.
sang@heraldcorp.com
