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North Korea tests a ballistic missile on Sept. 18, 2024. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korea fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, 17 days after its previous ballistic missile launch on Oct. 12.
 
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the projectile launches from the Wonsan area around 12:30 pm.
 
The launches came six days after South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense proposed military talks with North Korea on Oct. 23 to prevent accidental clashes along the Military Demarcation Line following recent land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
 
According to the Joint Chiefs, the missiles traveled around 250 kilometers. South Korean and US authorities are currently analyzing the technical details.
 
The missiles were reportedly among a range of weapons systems — including 600 mm super-large multiple rocket launchers — that North Korean forces drilled on Thursday.
 
South Korea’s National Security Office convened an emergency meeting with officials from the Defense Ministry, the Joint Chiefs and other relevant agencies to review the security situation.
 
“We emphasized the need to thoroughly assess the implications of the launches for our security and ensure that all necessary measures are taken,” an office spokesperson said after the meeting.
 
The office also urged North Korea to immediately halt its repeated ballistic missile launches, calling them “violations of UN Security Council resolutions and grave actions that do nothing to help contain the current situation.”

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter; Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

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