North Korea Fired Eight Short-Range Ballistic Missiles Into the Sea off Its East Coast

Misbar has investigated the circulating claim and found it to be selective. The posts claimed that North Korea launched eight ballistic missiles, but did not specify where they were headed or who they were aimed at.

North Korea Launched Eight Ballistic Missiles

On Sunday, June 5, 2022, North Korea launched eight short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan off its east coast.

The missiles were launched from multiple locations, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.

The South Korean military also reported missile launches between 9:08 and 9:43 a.m. from four different locations: the capital Pyongyang's Sunan area, Kaechon in South Pyongan province, Tongchang-ri in North Pyongan province, and Hamhung in South Hamgyong province.

The U.S. And South Korea’s Joint Naval Exercise

North Korea launched missiles one day after the United States and South Korea concluded joint naval exercises in the East China Sea. It is the two countries' first joint exercise in four years.

The missile launch came after Sung Kim, the US official in charge of North Korean affairs, visited Seoul, South Korea.

On Friday, June 3, the US Special Representative met with his South Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un and Japanese counterpart Funakoshi Takehiro to prepare for any emergency, amid indications that North Korea is planning a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.

The U.S. And South Korea’s Response 

South Korea and the United States launched eight missiles in response to North Korea's previous day's volley of ballistic missiles, as Pyongyang continues to escalate its missile tests.

"We fired one missile into the Sea of Japan during a joint exercise with South Korea," the US military said, according to Reuters. During the exercise, the South Korean military launched seven missiles into the Sea of Japan, according to the statement.

It is worth noting that North Korea previously launched ballistic missiles on May 25, the day after Joe Biden left the region after a five-day visit to South Korea and Japan during which he pledged to strengthen deterrence measures against North Korea.

Translated by Khadija Boufous