North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea says

By Yoonjung Seo, Emiko Jozuka and Jessie Yeung, CNN

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, according to South Korean officials, the latest in an unprecedented year of weapons testing.

The missiles were fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan area at around 4:32 p.m. local time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement Friday. It added the two missiles were launched into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

The Japan Coast Guard said it believed a ballistic missile had fallen outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, citing information from the country’s Ministry of Defense.

This marks the 36th day that North Korea has fired missiles this year alone, often launching multiple weapons at a time.

Under leader Kim Jong Un, the isolated nation has aggressively ramped up missile tests, with US and South Korean experts warning that Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test — which would be its first in more than five years.

Satellite imagery earlier this year showed activity at its underground nuclear test site.

This is a developing story. More to follow …

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