Daijiworld Media Network - Seoul

Seoul, Jan 28: North Korea on Tuesday fired what appeared to be two ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, triggering alerts in Japan and South Korea, officials said.

Japan’s coast guard, citing the defence ministry, confirmed the detection of two ballistic missiles and said both were believed to have already splashed down. Japanese news agency Jiji Press reported that the missiles landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also said it had detected a “projectile” fired towards the East Sea, as the Sea of Japan is known in Seoul.

The latest test marks Pyongyang’s second missile launch this month, following a previous salvo fired just hours before South Korea’s leader travelled to China for a summit. The launch also comes a day after a high-level visit to Seoul by US Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who described South Korea as a “model ally”.

North Korea has significantly increased missile testing in recent years. Analysts believe the move is aimed at enhancing precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States and South Korea, and testing weapons that could potentially be exported to Russia.

Pyongyang is also preparing to hold a major congress of its ruling party in the coming weeks, the first in five years. Ahead of the meeting, leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the expansion and modernisation of the country’s missile production facilities.