North Korea fired several SRBMs toward the East Sea, South Korea says

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea on Thursday, the South Korean military said. It was the first such launch since July 1.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it spotted the rockets fired from the Pyongyang area at 7:10 a.m. Further details, such as how many rockets were fired and how far they flew, were not given, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Our military has increased monitoring and vigilance against further launches while sharing information on North Korean ballistic missiles with the U.S. and Japanese authorities,” the JCS said in a text message to reporters.

On July 1, the North fired two ballistic missiles, one of which was a short-range missile, the other misfired and crashed inland.

The latest military operations came after North Korea said last week that the South and the United States would have to pay a “heavy price” for what it called “provocative war exercises” after the two countries conducted the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise in the summer.

The North has long condemned the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States as rehearsals for an invasion and uses them as a pretext for provocations. The allies have said their military exercises are defensive in nature.

Thursday's launch also came after North Korea reportedly resumed its garbage balloon campaign last week after a nearly month-long hiatus, sending balloons filled with waste paper and plastic bottles southward for five consecutive days.

In retaliation for the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea, North Korea has sent thousands of balloons filled with garbage to the South since late May.

(With inputs from IANS)