North Korea renews missile launches, and Seoul threatens it with a firm response if it uses nuclear weapons

North Korea launched on Saturday ballistic missiles for the fourth time in a week, while the South threatened it with a firm response if it tried to use nuclear weapons.

Shortly after US Vice President Kamala Harris left Seoul, North Korean forces fired two short-range ballistic missiles.

The armies of South Korea, the United States and Japan confirmed the new launch.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the two missiles were launched from Suncheon county in South Pyongan Province, and estimated that they had a range of 350 km and an altitude of 50 km.

In Tokyo, Japanese Minister of State for Defense Toshiro Ino said that the two missiles traveled between 400 km and 350 km, and reached an altitude of 50 km.

For its part, the US Command in the Indo-Pacific region said - in a statement - that the US military is aware of the launch of the two ballistic missiles, but stressed that these facts do not pose a direct threat to the individuals and territories of the United States or its allies.

It added that the missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, according to the statement.

Pyongyang had preceded the visit of the US Vice President by firing two ballistic missiles.

This year, North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons tests, including ballistic missiles.

The new missile launch in North Korea comes after the South Korean, US and Japanese navies on Friday, for the first time in five years, conducted joint anti-submarine exercises.

Analysts believe that the acceleration of missile tests is an attempt by North Korea to build operational weapons and also benefit from the dispersal of the conflict in Ukraine and other crises, in order to draw the world's attention in order to "normalize" its tests.

US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan sails with South Korean ships during joint exercises (Getty)

firm response

During Harris' visit, South Korean Prime Minister Yoon Seok-yeol said North Korea's nuclear program posed a direct challenge to international efforts to achieve nuclear non-proliferation.

Yoon added that North Korea will face a firm response from his country and the United States if it tries to use nuclear weapons.

He added that his country will enhance joint military exercises with Washington, saying that Seoul will develop reconnaissance mechanisms and bombing capabilities against Pyongyang.

For her part, the US Vice President said that Washington and Seoul want the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but are ready to face any eventuality.

South Korea had warned a few days ago that the North might conduct a nuclear test between October 16 and November 7.

Since 2006, Pyongyang has tested its nuclear weapons six times, the last and most powerful test it conducted in 2017, which it said was a 250 kiloton hydrogen bomb.