ISTANBUL

South Korea said Wednesday that Pyongyang launched rockets the previous day as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), according to media reports.

"The military detected around 10 artillery rockets launched toward the northern waters of the Yellow Sea at around 3 p.m. Tuesday," said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Yonhap News reported.

"Our military is closely monitoring North Korea's various movements under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintains capabilities and posture that can overwhelmingly respond to any provocation," it added.

Seoul and nearby areas are in the target range of the rockets that were presumed to be launched from the 240mm multiple rocket launcher.

A military official said the launch is presumably part of North Korea's regular wintertime exercises that usually start in December.

The same day, Kim presided over the Enlarged Meeting of the 13th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK, according to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency.

High-ranking members of the WPK's Central Committee and officials of departments, ministries, national agencies and provincial-level guidance bodies, as well as administrative officials of major industrial establishments and relevant commanding officers of the Korean People's Army, among others, attended the meeting.

The discussion on five agenda items was approved, including "the review of the implementation of the Party and state policies and the work of the Central Inspection Commission of the Party in 2025 and the major issues related to the preparations for the Ninth Congress of the WPK," it said.