A series of phone conversations between the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan following North Korea s latest missile launches demonstrates just how much tensions have escalated in East Asia. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on Thursday, marking the sixth launch in the last 12 days. According to South Korea s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the SRBMs were launched from the Samsok area near Pyongyang between 6:01 a.m. and 6:23 a.m. The first missile flew approximately 350 kilometers after reaching a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers, and the second one traveled approximately 800 kilometers after reaching a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers. The missiles top speeds reached Mach 5 and 6, respectively.
Meet high-quality contents on KBS WORLD Radio in 11 languages, including news, K-pop, and online Korean-language classes. Also available are programs featuring life, culture, tourism and history of Korea and update news on North Korea.
China s second Type 055 large destroyer, the Lhasa, is reportedly holding its first far sea drills by entering the Sea of Japan, with experts saying on Wednesday that the ship has achieved full operational capability and demonstrated its capabilities in deterring possible foreign military interference in the Taiwan Straits at a time when the US and Japan have been repeatedly provoking China over the Taiwan question.