South Korea's JCS said the missile launched at 1:49 a.m. personnel or territory, or to our allies.' Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of the latest missile launch and 'it does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. 16.Īlso Read | South Korea says it has ‘ability to intercept’ North's missiles Some analysts do not expect any tests before neighbouring China concludes a key ruling Communist Party congress, which begins on Oct. The unprecedented frequency of North Korea's missile launches has raised concerns it may be preparing to resume testing of nuclear bombs for the first time since 2017. The incidents came after KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un had overseen the launch of two long-range strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday to confirm the reliability of nuclear-capable weapons deployed to military units. South Korea's NSC said the firing was a 'regular, legitimate' exercise. North Korea's military issued a statement via state media KCNA on early Friday that it took 'strong military countermeasures,' over South Korea's artillery fire on Thursday. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters that Pyongyang has been 'indiscriminately carrying out provocations,' vowing to devise 'watertight countermeasures.'Īlso Read | White House consulting allies on 'robust' response to North Korea missile launch

The JCS issued a warning to North Korea, urging it to stop provocations and escalating tension.

Seoul imposed its first unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang in nearly five years, blacklisting 15 North Korean individuals and 16 institutions involved in missile development. South Korea's National Security Council (NSC) condemned the North for escalating tensions, calling its moves a violation of a 2018 bilateral military pact that bans 'hostile acts' in the border area. South Korea also scrambled fighter jets when a group of about 10 North Korean military aircraft flew close to their heavily fortified border, and North Korea fired some 170 rounds of artillery into 'sea buffer zones' off its east and west coasts, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Friday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of launches by the nuclear-armed country amid heightened tensions.

Market leader intermediate test file