North Korea fires missiles as row over landmine blast intensifies

North Korea has fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), less than a week after Seoul proposed talks over a growing border dispute.

The missiles were launched at about 12:30pm (03:30 GMT) on Thursday from an area around Wonsan on North Korea’s eastern coast, the JCS said in a statement.

Japan’s Defence Ministry separately confirmed the launch of what it said could be a ballistic missile that fell outside the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The launch comes against the backdrop of growing tensions over a landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a heavily fortified border between the two Koreas, on September 21.

A joint South Korea-United Nations investigation earlier this month concluded that North Korea had planted the landmines more than a year ago,with Seoul calling for an apology.

Pyongyang rejected the finding, sending a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) this week accusing Seoul of fabricating the explosion.

The North Korean permanent representative to the UN, Kim Song, wrote about the “provocation the ROK [Republic of Korea] committed by groundlessly shifting the blame for the dubious ‘mine explosion incident’”, warning that violations of the country’s sovereignty could trigger self-defence.

Song told the UNSC that South Korea’s claims were a “farce to evade the responsibility for the ever-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula”.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, labelled South Korean demands for an apology as “despicable” while separately rejecting an offer of medical equipment from Seoul.

South Korea has proposed military talks with its neighbour in a bid to calm the situation.

Seoul said last Friday that it had invited Pyongyang to discuss restoring communication channels. The offer was made as military activity on the border increases.

It remains unclear whether North Korea would agree to talks. Leader Kim has taken a hardline approach towards Seoul and suspended virtually all dialogue and cooperation with the South in recent years.

The ratcheting tensions come as United States President Donald Trump’s recent overtures to Pyongyang have raised concerns that US ally Seoul could be sidelined in potential nuclear talks involving the North.

Pyongyang launched several short-range ballistic missiles a day after Trump suggested he might meet Kim this year.