North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Saturday, South Korean officials said, adding to a record number of launches this year that have ratcheted up regional tensions.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launches from Tongrim County in North Pyongyan Province between around 11:32 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. local time, it said in a statement. The missiles flew about 130 kilometers (81 miles) at an apogee of 20 km (12 miles) with a top speed of Mach 5.
The action follows the launch on Wednesday of at least 23 missiles, including the first ballistic one to fly over a nautical border with South Korea, marking the country’s biggest daily barrage under leader Kim Jong Un. On Thursday, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to hit the American mainland, while warning the U.S. of “powerful measures” if it continued joint military drills in the region with South Korea and others.
