After a period of silence, North Korea suddenly "launched a move" that made South Korea and Japan restless, the US quickly reassured its allies.

On the morning of September 12, both South Korea and Japan announced that North Korea had launched several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast.

South Korean people watch news about North Korea's missile launch on September 12. (Source: AFP)

Yonhap news agency quoted information from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as saying that these short-range ballistic missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at 7:10 a.m. on September 12 (local time, about 5:10 a.m. the same day Vietnam time).

According to the JCS, the missiles flew about 360 km, noting that, with this range, if directed south, the missiles could affect major cities in South Korea, including the capital Seoul and the city of Daejeon, as well as military facilities in Gyeryong and Gunsan.

JCS protested the launch and affirmed that it would maintain readiness to respond.

Meanwhile, Kyodo news agency quoted a statement from the Japanese government saying that the ballistic missiles appeared to have fallen outside the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at sea and did not cause any damage to ships or aircraft.

According to Japan's Defense Ministry , at least two missiles are believed to have flown 350km, reaching a maximum altitude of about 100km, before falling into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. Tokyo has sent a protest note to Pyongyang, calling the launch a threat to regional security.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed relevant ministries to conduct a detailed analysis of the situation regarding North Korea's missile launch. According to the leader, the country will continue to cooperate closely with the United States and South Korea and will make every effort to collect relevant information.

Following the incident, nuclear envoys from South Korea, the US and Japan held phone talks to discuss North Korea's latest move.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry issued a press release saying the three sides considered North Korea's move a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from carrying out any such launches.

The officials also agreed to continue close coordination in responding to similar actions by North Korea based on the close alliance between South Korea and the United States and the trilateral partnership involving Japan.

Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesperson also protested North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch, while reaffirming Washington's commitment to defending Seoul and Tokyo "is sacrosanct".

The launch came a week after North Korea warned the US and South Korea would “pay a heavy price” for their joint military exercises. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo had earlier agreed to conduct the second phase of the Freedom Edge exercise on September 10.

The last time North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile was on July 1, using a new tactical missile Hwasong-11Da-4.5 capable of carrying a super-large warhead.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/sau-thoi-gian-im-ang-trieu-tien-bat-ngo-tung-chieu-khien-han-nhat-dung-ngo-khong-yen-my-voi-tran-an-dong-minh-286005.html