SEOUL, May 25 (Reuters) – North Korea fired three missiles on Wednesday, including one believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), hours after U.S. President Joe Biden left the region.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the three missiles were fired in less than an hour from an area near Sunan Airport, Pyongyang.
According to South Korea, it appears that the first missile fired was an ICBM, the second missile, the type of which has not been identified, disappeared in flight, and the third missile was a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). ).
The United States and South Korea have conducted military exercises in response to the fire, including surface-to-air missile tests, the South Korean army added.
These missile launches took place just hours after Joe Biden left Japan, after his first trip to Asia as President of the United States.
US and South Korean officials had warned that North Korea appeared ready to carry out a nuclear test or a missile test, or both. (Report Hyonhee Shin, with contributions from Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith Soul, and David Brunnstrom Washington; French version Camille Raynaud)