What happened
North Korea has conducted a series of ballistic missile launches into its eastern waters, according to South Korea's military. The missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Japan's Defense Ministry detected at least two missiles, which landed in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The launch is the latest in a string of weapons tests by North Korea, which has been seeking to expand its arsenal of nuclear-capable systems. This comes after South Korea recently flight-tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon, designed to evade missile defense systems.
Tensions between North Korea and its neighbors have been escalating, with North Korea rejecting offers to resume diplomacy and maintaining a hard line toward Seoul. The situation has been further worsened by recent incidents, including land mine explosions near the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers.