• China says it's removing steel platform in overlapped waters with South Korea in Yellow Sea
  
  ISTANBUL

North Korea on Tuesday fired two ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, marking the second such launch by Pyongyang this year, the governments of Tokyo and Seoul confirmed.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said through US social media company X that North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles.

Following the launches, the government has immediately convened an emergency response team at the Prime Minister's Office to gather information regarding the situation.

The Japan Coast Guard said the projectiles have already fallen into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan by Tokyo.

Following the missile launch, Takaichi's office urged authorities to make maximum efforts to gather and analyze information, keep the public informed promptly, ensure the safety of aircraft and vessels, and take all possible precautionary measures, including readiness for contingencies, it added.

Tokyo also condemned Pyongyang for its missile launch, noting that it violates UN Security Council resolutions, according to Kyodo News.

The South Korean military also claimed that it detected the launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday, Yonhap News reported.

The missiles flew about 350 kilometers (around 217 miles), the military said, adding that the South Korean and US authorities were analyzing the details of the launch.

Seoul’s presidential office condemned the missile launches, saying: "North Korea's ballistic missile launch is a provocative act that violates UN Security Council resolutions."

It urged Pyongyang to "immediately cease" such actions.

Separately, US Forces Korea said: "We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners."

"The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region," it said on X.

This is the second time that Pyongyang has fired projectiles since Jan. 4, when North Korea fired ballistic missiles in the same direction as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was preparing to travel to Beijing for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China says it is removing steel platform in Yellow Sea

Separately, China said Monday that it is moving a steel platform built in the overlapping waters of the Yellow Sea with South Korea.

“We have learned that a Chinese company is moving the platform, which is an adjustment made by the company itself to meet the needs of its operation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference in Beijing.

“China and the ROK (South Korea) are neighbors across the sea and the two sides are in close communication on maritime issues to properly manage differences and promote mutually beneficial cooperation,” he added.

Remarks from Beijing came as South Korea and China are in talks to resolve the issues regarding China's establishment of three steel towers in the overlapping sea zone.

Following a summit meeting in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean President Lee said that China was expected to remove one of the three steel platforms from the Yellow Sea.