South Korean Joint Chiefs: Multiple missiles from North Korea detected heading toward the Sea of Japan
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs said they detected the launch of several ballistic missiles from North Korea toward the Sea of Japan on Monday morning and raised surveillance levels in anticipation of additional launches.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday that its military detected at around 09:20 (00:20 GMT) the launch of several ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea, internationally known as the Sea of Japan.
The body said it has stepped up monitoring and vigilance in anticipation of any possible additional launches. In an earlier statement the same day, it said North Korea fired an unspecified projectile toward the East Sea.
The announcement comes days after reciprocal tests carried out on the Korean Peninsula regarding hypersonic technologies. Pyongyang said a test carried out on October 3 included a test of a medium-range hypersonic missile and the use of artificial intelligence technologies, and that the missile is capable of altering its flight path at low altitude.
Days later, South Korea conducted its first test launch of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle. The Blue House said President Lee Jae-myung monitored the test and described the system as a core strategic capability that could change the course of battle, noting that its unpredictable flight paths and extreme speed allow it to target major strategic objectives.
Hypersonic glide vehicles are typically boosted into the upper layers of the atmosphere by rocket boosters, then glide toward their targets at speeds of around five times the speed of sound or more.
