North Korea fires around 10 ballistic missiles

Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, watches the missile launch

North Korea fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the sea of Japan Saturday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of "terrible consequences" over ongoing South Korea-US military drills.

Seoul's military detected "around ten ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea at around 1:20pm (0420 GMT)," JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea's name for the body of water.

The missiles flew a distance of around 350 kilometres, they said adding that South Korean and US authorities are analysing their exact specifications.

Japan's defence ministry also confirmed North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles that reached a maximum altitude of about 80 kilometres and fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone near the Korean Peninsula's east coast.

The Trump administration has pushed in recent months to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a possible summit with Kim Jong Un this year, potentially during Trump's visit to Beijing set for late March.

'Terrible consequences'

Analysts said the number of the missiles launched on Saturday was unusual, and that the timing was notable.

"Global attention is currently focused on the war in the Middle East and North Korea has historically carried out military provocations when it wants to draw attention to its presence," Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told AFP.

"And that motive likely underlies this launch as well," he added.

Seoul and Washington kicked off their springtime military drills "Freedom Shield" on Monday, which will involve about 18,000 Korean troops and run until March 19.

Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong, a powerful confidante of her brother Kim Jong Un, said the joint drills "may cause unimaginably terrible consequences".

She went on to say the drills were taking place at "a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world".

Pyongyang has condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as an "illegal act of aggression", claiming it shows the "rogue" nature of the United States.

North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of "arming the Navy with nuclear weapons".

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