SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥 North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Sunday, the latest of a recent barrage of weapons tests, a day after it warned the redeployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula was inflaming regional tensions.
South Korea鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected two missile launches Sunday between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m. from the North鈥檚 eastern coastal city of Munchon. It added that South Korea鈥檚 military has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the United States.
Japanese Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino also confirmed the launches, saying Pyongyang's are 鈥渁bsolutely unacceptable鈥 as they threaten regional and international peace and security.
Ino said the weapons could be submarine-launched ballistic missiles. 鈥淲e are continuing to analyze details of the missiles, including a possibility that they might have been launched from the sea,鈥 Ino said.
North Korea鈥檚 pursuit of an ability to fire missiles from a submarine would constitute an alarming development for its rivals because it鈥檚 harder to detect such launches in advance. North Korea was believed to have last tested a missile launch from a submarine in May.
The South Korean and Japanese militaries assessed that the missiles flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached maximum altitudes of 90 to 100 kilometers (56 to 60 miles) before falling into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida separately instructed officials to gather and analyze all information they could and expedite any updates about the tests to the public. His office said it also was seeking to ensure the safety of all aircraft and ships in waters around Japan while preparing for any contingencies.
South Korea鈥檚 presidential office said 好色tv Security Director Kim Sung-han called an emergency security meeting over the launches where members reviewed the South's defense preparedness and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation with the United States and Japan to counter the growing North Korean threats.
Seoul warned that Pyongyang's consecutive provocations will deepen its international isolation and increase the 鈥渋nstability of the regime鈥 by worsening its economy and people鈥檚 livelihoods.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the launches didn鈥檛 pose any immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to its allies. But it said the launches highlight 鈥渢he destabilizing impact鈥 of North Korea鈥檚 unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. It said U.S. commitments to the defense of South Korea and Japan remain 鈥渋ronclad.鈥
The launch, the North鈥檚 seventh round of weapons tests in two weeks, came hours after the United States and South Korea wrapped up two days of naval drills off the Korean Peninsula鈥檚 east coast.
The drills involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group, which returned to the area after North Korea fired a powerful missile over Japan last week to protest the carrier group鈥檚 previous training with South Korea.
On Saturday, North Korea鈥檚 Defense Ministry warned that the Reagan鈥檚 redeployment was causing a 鈥渃onsiderably huge negative splash鈥 in regional security. The ministry called its recent missile tests a 鈥渞ighteous reaction鈥 to intimidating military drills between South Korea and the United States.
North Korea regards U.S.-South Korean military exercises as an invasion rehearsal and is especially sensitive if such drills involve U.S. strategic assets such as an aircraft carrier. North Korea has argued it was forced to pursue a nuclear weapons program to cope with U.S. nuclear threats. U.S. and South Korean officials have repeatedly said they have no intentions of attacking the North.
North Korea has launched more than 40 ballistic and cruise missiles in over 20 different events this year, exploiting a division in the U.N. Security Council deepened over Russia鈥檚 war on Ukraine as a window to speed up arms development.
The record number of tests included last week鈥檚 launch of a nuclear-capable missile that flew over Japan for the first time in five years. It was estimated to have traveled about 4,500-4,600 kilometers (2,800-2,860 miles), a distance sufficient to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and beyond.
South Korean officials say Pyongyang may up the ante soon by conducting an intercontinental ballistic missile or a nuclear test explosion, following a traditional pattern of manufacturing diplomatic crises with weapons tests and threats before offering negotiations aimed at extracting concessions. There are also concerns about provocations along the Koreas鈥 land and sea borders.
Sunday's launches came on the eve of the 77th anniversary of the foundation of the North Korean ruling Workers鈥 Party.
Earlier this year, North Korea tested other nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that place the U.S. mainland, South Korea and Japan within striking distance.
North Korea鈥檚 testing spree indicates its leader, Kim Jong Un, has no intention of resuming diplomacy with the U.S. and wants to focus on expanding his weapons arsenal. But some experts say Kim would eventually aim to use his advanced nuclear program to wrest greater outside concessions, such as the recognition of North Korea as a legitimate nuclear state, which Kim thinks is essential in getting crippling U.N. sanctions lifted.
South Korean officials recently said North Korea was also prepared to test a new liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile and a submarine-launched ballistic missile while maintaining readiness to perform its first underground nuclear test since 2017. ___ Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
