North Korea Launches Missiles Ahead of U.S. Polls

Hours before the U.S. presidential elections, North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles, heightening tensions in the region. Detected by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles flew 400 km from Sariwon. The launches prompted combined air drills by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

Just mere hours before the United States took to the polls for its presidential elections, North Korea fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles, targeting the East Sea. This was corroborated by military authorities from both South Korea and Japan, according to reports from local media. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that the launches were identified around 7:30 a.m. from the Sariwon area, situated in the western province of North Hwanghae, south of the capital Pyongyang, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

The projectiles reportedly traveled approximately 400 km after their launch from Sariwon. "In light of potential further launches, our military is intensifying monitoring and vigilance, maintaining full readiness, and jointly sharing North Korean ballistic missile data with U.S. and Japanese counterparts," stated the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a communication, according to the Seoul-based news outlet.

Simultaneously, Japan's Defence Ministry confirmed the launch of what could likely be a ballistic missile, which appears to have already fallen, as reported by state media Kyodo. The North Korean launch unfolded just hours before the United States proceeded to vote between Democratic contender Kamala Harris and the Republican hopeful, Donald Trump.

Earlier, on October 31, Pyongyang launched the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), theoretically capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, into the East Sea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed decisive satisfaction with the test-firing of what he termed the "ultimate version" of an ICBM, asserting that his nation's position in advancing nuclear delivery means is "absolutely irreversible," as per the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim, who was present at the test site during the launch, vowed that his country will "never change" its position regarding the enhancement of its nuclear arsenal, stated KCNA. In response, South Korea, the United States, and Japan executed combined air drills, which involved a U.S. B-1B bomber, over waters east of South Korea's southern island of Jeju.

The trilateral military exercise took place on Sunday in the airspace above South Korea's southern island of Jeju, reported the military to the Yonhap news agency. Similar exercises have been conducted by the three nations earlier this year. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)