North Korea Fires Approximately Ten Ballistic Missiles into Sea of Japan, Seoul Confirms

Seoul. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul stated that North Korea launched approximately ten ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Saturday. The Seoul military announced via a statement that the ballistic missile launch occurred towards the East Sea from North Korea's Sunan area at 1:20 PM.

The missiles were launched to a distance of about 350 kilometers. The South Korean military stated through the JCS that they are prepared to 'respond to any provocation.'

Japan's Ministry of Defense confirmed the launch on the social media platform X, verifying that the ballistic missile was launched from North Korea.

This announcement came shortly after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's decision regarding a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un. Washington has reportedly been leading efforts for decades to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.

The Trump administration has recently pressured to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang. During his Asia tour in October, Trump stated he was open to meeting Kim Jong-un, although North Korea reportedly did not respond to the comments.

After largely ignoring those proposals for months, Kim Jong-un recently stated that reconciliation between the two nations could be possible if Washington accepts Pyongyang's nuclear status.

AFP quoted Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, stating that North Korea has historically engaged in military provocations to draw attention to its presence while global focus is centered on the war in the Middle East.

Nuclear-armed North Korea, which started the Korean War by invading its neighbor in 1950, has long described such exercises as an act of aggression. Pyongyang condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as an illegal act of aggression, claiming it demonstrates America's malicious nature.