Global Courant
SEOUL – North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast late Monday, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also reported North Korea’s launch of what it said could be a ballistic missile.
The reports come amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula as South Korea and the United States take steps to increase military preparedness against North Korea’s weapons program through the deployment of US strategic military assets.
North Korea has reacted angrily, saying such a deployment could meet the criteria for using nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang conducted ballistic missile tests last week, hours after a US submarine carrying nuclear-armed ballistic missiles arrived at a South Korean port for the first time since the 1980s.
On Monday, another nuclear-powered US submarine arrived in South Korea.
Over the weekend, the North fired a barrage of cruise missiles into the sea off the west coast. REUTERS
