S.Korea says DPRK fires 8 short-range ballistic missiles eastward

SEOUL, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired eight short-range ballistic missiles eastward, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Sunday.

The JCS said in a statement that it detected the launches from the Sunan area in Pyongyang from around 9:08 a.m. to 9:43 a.m. local time, marking the 18th projectile launches by the DPRK this year.

It noted that the South Korean military has tightened surveillance and alert status against further possible launches while maintaining a full readiness posture in cooperation with the United States.

The missile launches came a day after South Korea and the United States wrapped up their joint maritime exercises near the Korean Peninsula mobilizing a U.S. aircraft carrier.

The maritime drills were conducted from Thursday to Saturday in international waters off Japan's Okinawa, involving the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, as well as battleships of the two countries, according to Yonhap news agency.

The DPRK test-fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and two other short-range ballistic missiles on May 25, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden wrapped up his Asian tour to South Korea and Japan.

The South Korean presidential office said that the National Security Council (NSC) meeting will be presided over by top presidential security adviser Kim Sung-han to discuss the DPRK's missile launches.