North Korea launches missiles toward East Sea

North Korea launched missiles toward the East Sea on October 29, with South Korea’s military identifying them as short-range ballistic missiles and Japan describing the weapon as a possible ballistic missile. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from the Wonsan area at about 12:30 p.m. It reported the launch as involving about 10 missiles in one account and more than 10 in another. Other reports quoting South Korean military statements described an unidentified projectile without giving a count, leaving the definitive tally unsettled in the public accounts. Japan’s Coast Guard said the projectile could be a ballistic missile and had fallen into the sea. Japan’s Defence Ministry separately said it had detected a launch that appeared to involve a ballistic missile. The reports did not establish a definitive weapon identification or provide flight distances for the missiles. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military had strengthened surveillance and was sharing information about the launch with the United States and Japan. The statement also said South Korea was maintaining readiness for possible additional launches. The launch came amid...