South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported earlier on Monday, citing the South Korean military, that Pyongyang test-fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan.
Later in the day, Yonhap reported citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Monday. The test-firing was detected from the Sukchon area in South Pyongan Province between 7 a.m. (22:00 GMT on Sunday) and 7:11 a.m. local time, according to JCS.
The Japan Coast Guard issued warnings, saying that there were three launches carried out by North Korea on Monday.
The NHK broadcaster reported on Monday, citing Japan’s Ministry of Defense, that multiple missiles were launched by Pyongyang on Monday; all of them landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.
A crisis response center has been set up under the Japanese prime minister’s office in connection with Pyongyang's suspected Monday launches, according to Japanese media reports.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed ministers on Monday to check the safety of ships and be prepared for unforeseen situations, following Pyongyang’s Monday launches.
On Saturday, North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said on Saturday that the missile could potentially travel 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) and reach the US mainland.
Japan has asked for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) over the latest missile tests carried out by North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
"Following the launch of an intercontinental missile the day before yesterday, now there’s the launch of ballistic missiles, so we requested an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council," Kishida told reporters on Monday.