TOKYO — North Korea launched two medium-range ballistic missiles early Wednesday in defiance of international sanctions.
U.S. military officials said two Musudan missiles were launched from Wonsan, North Korea, and were tracked over the Sea of Japan, where they fell.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier that the first launch Wednesday was “presumed to have been unsuccessful,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
The launches were the latest in a series of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula and led to a tightening of international sanctions in recent months.
“The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launches from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America. We strongly condemn this and other North Korea's missile test in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions, which explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology,” said CDR Dave Benham, a spokesperson for U.S. Pacific Command in Honolulu.
He said U.S. forces were “closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula in coordination with our regional allies.”
The Musudan missiles are believed to have a range of 2,180 miles, which would put key U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam at risk.
South Korea’s military was studying the launch and stepping up surveillance, according to Yonhap.
"We are tracking any missile-related signs and maintain a high state of readiness," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
In Japan, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani called the launches “provocative” and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the actions "simply cannot be tolerated." Japan earlier deployed missile-defense batteries in the heart of Tokyo in anticipation of the launches.
The U.N. imposed strict sanctions against the North earlier this year after it conducted its fourth nuclear test and a long-range missile launch.
The North attempted three launches of the new Musudan missile in April, all of which ended in apparent failure.
“Every time the North Koreans test their nuclear and missile capabilities, they learn something, and get better,” said John Delury, an associate professor at Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies, in Seoul, in an interview earlier this year.
