Where and how far the missiles flew

Seoul's defence ministry reported the north korea missile launch as around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles fired on Thursday. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the projectiles left the Wonsan area and headed towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

The missiles covered roughly 250 kilometres. South Korea and the United States are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications, and surveillance has been stepped up against the possibility of further launches. The Japan Coast Guard had earlier urged ships in the area to stay vigilant. The firing follows recent tests of a precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both said to employ AI technology.

Seoul calls launches a violation of UN resolutions

Seoul's National Security Office charged that the ballistic missile launch breached UN Security Council resolutions, calling the acts serious and of no help in managing the current situation.

The timing is notable: the offer came less than a week after South Korea proposed military talks meant to mutually confirm the precise location of the border and restore communication channels. Pyongyang has yet to answer.

Analyst: a show of force aimed at military facilities

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at South Korea's Kyungnam University, described the launches as a fairly high-level show of force. In his reading, North Korea wanted to demonstrate it has the capability to completely destroy major South Korean and US military facilities, while warning Seoul not to interfere with its border fortification work.

The border row behind the launches

The launch lands amid a sharpening dispute over the fortified frontier. A landmine explosion there wounded three South Korean soldiers. A joint Seoul-UN investigation earlier this month concluded that North Korea planted the landmines over a year ago; Seoul called the act a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement and demanded an apology, which the North mockingly dismissed.

Other threads in the escalation include:

• •Last week, Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong-un, said the North would place loudspeakers on standby along the border within days and had put unspecified new counter means on alert.
• •The two Koreas remain technically at war: the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty, and the DMZ is among the world's most heavily fortified frontiers.
• •US President Donald Trump's recent overtures to North Korea have raised concerns that Seoul could be sidelined in potential nuclear talks; he downplayed the possibility of a summit while insisting his relationship with Kim Jong-un was very good.
• •In October, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles a day after Trump suggested the two leaders might meet this year.

South Korea and the United States continue to analyse the missiles' exact specifications, with heightened surveillance in place for further launches.