South Korea's Military Command Says North Fired Two SRBMs Today

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Samsok area of Pyongyang this morning, Yonhap News Agency reports citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and no damage has been reported.

• Japanese government officials told NHK that the first missile travelled at a maximum altitude of 100km and may have flown about 350km, while the second projectile flew about 800km at an altitude of 50km following an irregular trajectory.
• While in isolation today's launches might have a lesser demonstration effect than the IRBM test two days ago, there is a lingering threat that North Korea may return to escalation. Historically, a barrage of missile tests was typically followed by a nuclear test, with North Korea believed to have made necessary preparations.