(LEAD) N. Korea fires multiple missiles toward East Sea: JCS

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By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired multiple missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, just days after it fired nearly a dozen short-range ballistic missiles.

The missiles were launched from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong Province early Wednesday, the JCS said, adding that further analysis of specifications was under way in coordination with the United States.

"Our military is monitoring the North's various movements under a robust South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, and maintains the capabilities and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocations," the JCS said in a notice to the press.

A JCS official said it is analyzing the details while leaving open the possibility that the North may have fired different types of missiles at the same time.

"We are analyzing the specifications while leaving open the possibility that the North fired various types of missiles," the official said, adding they are still looking into the exact types of missiles and their impact area.

The latest launch came just days after the North fired around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area Thursday, less than a week after the South Korean military proposed military talks with Pyongyang over the inter-Korean border.

North Korean state media has reported that Pyongyang also tested a cluster bomb that can be mounted on tactical ballistic missiles Saturday. The South Korean military did not disclose its detection of the test.

Wednesday's launch also comes as North Korea has repeatedly denounced the U.S.' accusation of its involvement in a major cryptocurrency theft as a "grave political provocation" and a sign of Washington's hostility toward Pyongyang.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued the claims in back-to-back statements carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, saying that while the regime remains open to dialogue with the U.S. as an option for peace, it would not be necessary for its own interest.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Saturday that it found the regime was behind the theft of more than US$6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

sookim@yna.co.kr
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