![South Korean citizens watch news coverage of North Korea's ballistic missile launch at Seoul Station in central Seoul, on April 2. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/05/17/cb2fba01-661a-4458-82d4-78558466ce00.jpg)
North Korea fired a number of short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced Friday afternoon.
The latest launch comes 25 days after North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on April 22.
According to the JCS, it detected what are believed to be short-range ballistic missiles launched toward the East Sea from the North’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan at 3:10 p.m. The missiles flew 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) and landed in the East Sea.
The firing of missiles on Friday came after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that their recently unveiled weapons were made only for defense against South Korea in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency earlier in the day.
The launch also comes a day after South Korea and the United States conducted joint aerial drills, mobilizing two South Korean F-35As and two U.S. F-22 Raptors over the central region of South Korea.
BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
