South Korea and US condemn launch and urge Pyongyang to ‘refrain from further unlawful and destabilising acts’. North Korea has launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said, as it continues to develop its military weaponry in breach of international sanctions. Leader Kim Jong Un has made developing more sophisticated weaponry and military equipment a cornerstone of his efforts to modernise North Korea’s armed forces. The United States, a close ally of South Korea, condemned the launch with the Indo-Pacific Command urging North Korea to “refrain from further unlawful and destabilising acts.”Pyongyang is banned from testing ballistic missiles under United Nations sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme. Such launches are also a violation of UN sanctions because they involve similar technology to ballistic missiles.
