More details are coming out on North Korea's latest missile testing from yesterday.... and the Pentagon has confirmed they're indeed *ballistic missile... while Seoul's Defense Ministry is more cautious in saying what exactly was fired.
Our Kim Ji-yeon has more.
In a statement released by Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn on Thursday... the U.S. Defense Department confirmed that North Korea had launched multiple BALLISTIC missiles from its northwestern location. The missiles flew more than 300 kilometers before landing in the East Sea.
Seoul's Defense Ministry, on the other hand, is taking a more cautious stance... saying on Friday that it's still confirming the Pentagon's statement... on whether they're ballistic missiles... reiterating that it currently sees them as short-range missiles.
An official confirmed 240 millimeter multiple rocket launchers were fired on Thursday... in another location and direction when compared to the two short-range missiles launched from Kusong, Pyonganbuk-do Province.
If confirmed that the North had fired ballistic missiles, it would make it official that the North has violated a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban such testing.
This would mark the first missile firing by the North since November 2017... when the regime test-fired the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency has revealed North Korea's first statement on Thursday's launches.
The agency said its leader Kim Jong-un supervised the regime's firepower training on the west coast on Thursday... as he overlooked the training plan of multiple long-range hitting weapons and ordered the launch,... but there was no specific mention of terms like "missile" or "rocket".
It added the military training was carried out to test the rapid response capability of the troops stationed on the western front.
Kim also reportedly emphasized the importance of maintaining battle-readiness and developing the regime's military capabilities.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
