By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee
SEOUL, Oct 12 (Reuters) – North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, in its latest weapons test amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The missiles were fired at around 9:20 a.m. local time (0020 GMT) from near Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Earlier, Japan’s coast guard said North Korea had fired two unidentified projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, adding that both appeared to have already fallen.
Tensions have been rising between the two Koreas in recent weeks amid weapons tests by both countries and a border mine blast last month that wounded three South Korean soldiers.
Seoul said the landmines had been planted by North Korea and demanded an apology, but Pyongyang has dismissed this and accused South Korea of provocation.
Last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country’s first test-firing of a hypersonic missile, a rare public showcasing of a missile test by a South Korean president.
North Korea last fired a ballistic missile on October 3. North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said the launch was a test of an intermediate-range strategic missile.
Pyongyang has conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions this year.
(Reporting by Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee in Seoul, Anton Bridge in TokyoEditing by Ed Davies)
