Seoul, South Korea CNN —
North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles from a site south of Pyongyang on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest in an unprecedented year of weapons tests.
In a text to reporters, the Joint Chiefs said the projectiles were fired from the Chunghwa area in North Hwanghae province around 8 a.m. local time on Saturday.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said three ballistic missiles, each with a maximum altitude of about 100 kilometers (62 miles) and a flight distance of about 350 kilometers (217 miles), had fallen into waters off the coast east of the Korean peninsula, outside the Japanese exclusive. economic zone
This is the 37th day this year that North Korea has conducted a missile launch, according to CNN’s count.
Last week, it fired two short-range ballistic missiles, according to South Korean officials.
In 2020, North Korea conducted four missile tests. In 2021, it doubled that number. In 2022, the isolated nation has fired more missiles than any other year, at one point launching 23 missiles in a single day.
North Korea has fired more than 90 cruise and ballistic missiles so far this year, displaying a range of weapons as experts warn of a possible nuclear test on the horizon.
While the tests themselves are not new, their high frequency marks a significant escalation that has set the Pacific region on course.