North Korea fires ballistic missiles after unprecedented year of tests

North Korea has fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, the latest in a barrage of weapons tests this year that came days after it increased tensions by allegedly flying drones into South Korean airspace.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected the three launches from an inland area south of Pyongyang, the North's capital, on Saturday morning. 

It said South Korea has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Japan's Defence Ministry said in a statement that North Korea fired suspected ballistic missiles. 

It was North Korea's first missile launch in eight days and came five days after South Korea accused Pyongyang of flying five drones into South Korea's airspace for the first time since 2017.

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North Korean drones

South Korean warplanes and helicopters failed to bring down any of the North Korean drones spotted south of the border before they flew back home or vanished from South Korean radar. 

One of them travelled as far as northern Seoul. 

That caused security jitters among many people in the South, for which the military offered a rare public apology on Tuesday.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has called for boosting his country's air defence network and vowed to sternly deal with provocations by North Korea.

South Korea on Thursday staged large-scale military drills to simulate shooting down drones

Not counting Saturday's tests, North Korea fired around 70 ballistic missiles about 38 times this year, Yonhap news agency said, including about eight intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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