North Korea warns of turning Pacific into 'firing range'

SEOUL: North Korea fired two more ballistic missiles off its east coast on Monday, as the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un warned U.S. forces to halt military drills, saying the reclusive nuclear state could turn the Pacific into a “firing range”.

The launches come just two days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea off Japan’s west coast, prompting the United States to hold joint air exercises with South Korea and separately with Japan on Sunday.

North Korea’s state media confirmed it fired two projectiles from a multiple rocket launcher, aiming at targets 395 km (245 miles) and 337 km (209 miles) away, respectively.

“The 600mm multiple rocket launcher mobilised in the firing… is a means of tactical nuclear weapon,” capable of “paralysing” an enemy airfield, state news agency KCNA said.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the two missiles, fired around 2200 GMT, reached a maximum altitude of about 100 km and 50 km, and fell outside Japan’s EEZ.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he had requested an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting over the launches, and Jiji news agency said the gathering was set for 2000 GMT Monday.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff strongly condemned the launches as a “grave provocation” that should be ceased immediately.

Seoul’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on four individuals and five entities linked to Pyongyang’s weapons programmes on Monday over the latest ICBM and missile tests, in what it called its fastest-ever such response to the North’s provocations.

“Our government has made it clear that North Korea’s provocations will definitely come at a price. Its repeated provocations will result in strengthening South Korea-U.S. deterrence and tightening the global sanctions network,” the ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the latest launch did not pose an immediate threat but highlights the “destabilising impact” of North Korea’s unlawful weapons programmes.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric urged Pyongyang to “immediately desist from taking any further provocative actions” banned under Security Council resolutions, and resume denuclearisation dialogue.