Just hours after the North fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, South Korea said it conducted its first underwater-launched ballistic missile test.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea on Wednesday.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in was present at the country's first underwater-launched missile test on Wednesday afternoon, according to reports.
The missile, launched from a 3,000-ton submarine, flew a certain distance before hitting a predetermined target, according to the presidential Blue House.
The Blue House stated that having a submarine-launched ballistic missile would" play a major role in self-reliant national defense and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula going forward."
The tests occurred during a visit to Seoul by China's foreign minister to discuss Pyongyang's recent testing of new long-range cruise missiles.
The two "unidentified ballistic missiles" were launched on Wednesday afternoon from a facility in central North Korea into the waters of the Korean Peninsula's east coast, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea.
"South Korean and US intelligence agencies are conducting detailed analysis," they continued, without specifying the missiles' range.
The missiles landed outside of Japanese economic waters, according to the Japanese coast guard.
If Pyongyang's test on Wednesday was proved to be a ballistic missile, it would be Pyongyang's first since March this year and a new breach of UN sanctions.
Pyongyang's missile launch, according to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, was "outrageous" and a threat to regional peace and security.
According to their offices, both Suga and Moon would call meetings of their national security councils to discuss the launches.
Zhao Lijian, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, said in a daily briefing that Beijing hoped "relevant parties" would "exercise restraint."
The move"highlights the destabilizing impact of [North Korea's] illicit weapons program," according to the US Indo-Pacific Command, albeit it does not represent an immediate threat to the US.
The launch occurred as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his South Korean colleague to discuss Pyongyang's recent missile test and the delayed denuclearization talks with Washington. Wang had a meeting with Moon as well.
Wang expressed optimism that all countries will maintain "peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula" before the news of the missile launch broke.
"For example, not only the North but also other countries are engaging in military activities," he was reported by Yonhap news agency as saying."Having said this, we all have to work together toward the resumption of dialogue."
Pyongyang launched the missiles just days after successfully testing new long-range cruise missiles.
North Korea is not prohibited from constructing and testing cruise missiles, which it has done previously.
The missiles fired over the weekend, according to state-run KCNA, travelled around 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) – a distance capable of hitting all of Japan and US military stations in the vicinity.
In March of this year, the North resumed testing ballistic missiles after a year-long hiatus.
The recent tests are being interpreted as an attempt to put pressure on the United States, which is led by Vice President Joe Biden, amid delayed nuclear talks.
Since the breakdown of the 2019 Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-US President Donald Trump, negotiations have been put on hold.
Follow the latest news on Google News
