North Korea launched an object toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Friday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced. The type of object launched was not disclosed.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of the development and was conducting close consultations with its allies and partners in the region. The command’s initial assessment was that the incident posed no immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to the allies in the region.
In a subsequent update, the command said it had tracked multiple launches. The United States said its commitment to defending its territory and its allies in the region remained in place.
Launch came a day after trilateral maritime exercise
The incident occurred one day after South Korea, the United States and Japan completed the five-day trilateral Freedom Edge maritime exercise off Jeju Island, south of South Korea.
The development came amid the region’s security and defense agenda surrounding the exercise, which was held in international waters.