North Korea fires at least 10 missiles, 1 into nearby S. Korean waters

An air raid alarm was sounded around 8:55 a.m. on South Korea's Ulleung Island off the country's east coast, the military said, adding one missile had crossed the Northern Limit Line, a border drawn by U.S.-led U.N. forces after the Korean War.

The missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles, were launched from around the Wonsan area and several other places, according to the military. The latest launches by Pyongyang came as a joint air exercise was being conducted by the United States and South Korea.

«It is the first time since the division (of the Korean Peninsula) that a North Korean missile has fallen near South Korean territorial waters,» South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The JCS described the missile launches as «unprecedented» and «totally intolerable.»

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a national security meeting with his top officials in which he ordered that resolute measures be taken to ensure North Korea «pays a price» for its provocation.

Yoon «made it clear that any attempts by North Korea to shake our society and the South Korea-U.S. alliance will not work,» the presidential office said in a statement.

In Tokyo, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters the North had fired at least two ballistic missiles that fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone without any reports of damage to aircraft or ships.

They flew about 150 kilometers and 200 km at a maximum altitude of around 150 km and 100 km, respectively, and may have flown on irregular trajectories, Hamada said.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters, «North Korea has been launching missiles at an unprecedented pace, which is totally unacceptable.»

Japan lodged a protest with North Korea via its embassy in Beijing, according to the Defense Ministry.

On Monday, the United States and South Korea began their first large joint air exercise in five years. The exercise, to be held through Friday, involves around 240 planes, including F-35 advanced stealth jets.

North Korea has launched ballistic missiles regularly since the start of this year, with one in early October the first to fly over the Japanese archipelago in five years.

The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan last Friday, marking its 28th round of launches this year if cruise missiles are included.

Photo: english.kyodonews.net