North Korea launches two missiles into Sea of Japan

North Korea launched two missiles into the Sea of Japan Thursday, in its 12th test since May, The Washington Post reported.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were short-ranged projectiles and launched north of Pyongyang, reaching 55 miles in height and flying 230 miles into the sea, according to a statement obtained by the Post.

{mosads}“This type of act from North Korea does not help efforts to alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and we urge North Korea to stop immediately,” the statement reads.

Japan’s Defense Ministry noted the first projectile appeared to be a ballistic missile but did not land in territorial waters or an exclusive economic zone, according to the Post.

The missiles were launched as tensions in North Korea’s relationship with both South Korea and the U.S. have intensified in the past month. Negotiation talks on potential denuclearization between the countries fell apart in early October, after North Korea called the talks “sickening.”

North Korea set a deadline for the end of the year for the U.S. to approach it with a plan for denuclearization. The country condemned the U.S. sanctions against them Sunday, calling them “crafty and vicious,” according to the Post. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un released photos of him riding a white horse earlier this month, saying he was planning a “great operation.” He also demanded this week that South Korean hotels and tourist locations be demolished.

“Now the situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a critical crossroads of either moving toward a durable peace along with the trend of detente or facing again a touch-and-go crisis,” leading North Korea official Choe Ryong Hae said in a speech Tuesday reported by North Korean state media.