North Korea fires two ballistic missiles off east coast in three hours

North Korea launched two missiles off its eastern coast on Sept. 20, its second set of tests in roughly a week and days after Pyongyang accused the United States of driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military drills.

Just three hours after launching a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea, North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile, according to South Korea's defense ministry.

If the subsequent launch is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it will mark two consecutive ballistic missile tests by North Korea within a three-hour window.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the first test firing from the Wonsan area around 3 p.m., identifying the weapon as a ballistic missile. Japan's defense ministry also said it appeared to be a ballistic missile.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the projectile had come down outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The first projectile flew approximately 280 miles and is presumed to belong to the Hwasong-11 series, according to South Korea's military. The second short-range missile, which was also fired from Wonsan at about 5:50 p.m., flew more than 373 miles, it said.

"South Korean and US intelligence authorities have been tracking and…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/