(NewsWorthy.news) – South Korea’s military has reported that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles towards the north-east from the socialist nation’s southeastern town of Jangyon. Pyongyang test-fired the missiles on July 1, but one may have malfunctioned. The drill was in response to a new military exercise conducted by the US in cooperation with Japan and South Korea.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea’s military said the first missile fired traveled 360 miles and the second missile, which was fired 10 minutes later, traveled 75 miles. Reports have not stated where the missiles landed. Pyongyang had threatened “offensive and overwhelming” actions following the US “Freedom Edge” military drill.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the second missile, which may have flown abnormally in its initial flight stage, would have scattered debris across the ground. No damage caused by the missile was reported, and Lee stated that the second missile fired was being investigated.
According to South Korean media, which cited anonymous military sources, it was most likely that the first missile crashed in the sea off the coast of Chongjin and that the second missile crashed inland in North Korea.
Following the launch, Pyongyang claimed that it had conducted a successful test using a newly acquired Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5 tactical ballistic missile, which could carry a “superlarge warhead”. Seoul dismissed the regime’s claims, sticking with its theory that one of the missiles most likely exploded in flight over land.
South Korea possesses similar missiles, which are particularly suited to strikes against underground bunkers. The latest drills indicate that the two countries are heading deeper into an arms race. Tensions between the two neighbors have escalated following South Korea’s distribution of propaganda across the border and North Korea’s retaliatory deliveries of trash bags using balloons. Pyongyang has sent 2,000 bags carrying garbage, which included cigarette butts, scrap metal and feces, across the border since May 28.
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