North Korea Launches 2 Missiles Toward Northeast; 2nd Missile Likely Failed

By Kazuki Koike / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

14:07 JST, July 1, 2024

SEOUL — North Korea launched two missiles from the vicinity of the Jangyon area in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, in a northeasterly direction at around 5:05 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. on Monday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

According to the announcement, the first missile was a short-range ballistic missile that flew about 600 kilometers, while the second missile flew about 120 kilometers. The U.S. and South Korean military forces are working together to analyze the types of the missiles, among other things.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean military thinks the second one was also a short-range ballistic missile but it may have failed based on its short flight distance. The news outlet also reported that military sources said the second missile likely crashed on land.

The latest missile launches come five days after North Korea launched a missile on Wednesday. North Korea said the following day that it had conducted a test launch of a missile capable of carrying multiple warheads and succeeded. However, the South Korean military concluded that Wednesday’s missile exploded in mid-air and failed, and has since remained on high alert for additional launches.