North Korea fires fresh round of ballistic missiles

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) — North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles in its second launch of this kind this year, Japan and South Korea said.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Pyongyang fired the missiles, which flew around 300 kilometers (186 miles), towards the East Sea.

It said their trajectory was "similar to those of KN-24" — a solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of up to 410 km and a payload of 400-500 kilograms (about 880-1100 pounds).

Seoul detected and tracked the missiles as it shared information on them with US and Japanese authorities, the military said, condemning the launch and calling it a "clear provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

This comes as Seoul hosts the third Summit of Democracy, an originally US initiative, with Washington's top diplomat Antony Blinken also speaking at the event.

Pyongyang had fired a new surface-to-sea cruise missile, the Padasuri-6, from its eastern coast on Feb. 14, while it had launched its first ballistic missile this year on Jan. 14.