According to Seoul's military, North Korea launched three ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan early this morning, only one day after US Vice President Joe Biden concluded his maiden trip to Asia as US leader.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that they had "detected ballistic missile launches from the Sunan area at approximately 06:00 (2100 GMT), 06:37, and 06:42." Japan's coastguard issued a warning about a "possible ballistic missile launch" from North Korea, advising vessels to avoid debris in the ocean.

Fumio Kishida, prime minister of Japan, informed reporters that Tokyo was attempting to authenticate facts regarding the launch.

According to his office, the new president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, will preside over a National Security Council meeting at 7:30 a.m. to address the launches.

After five years of fruitless diplomacy, Yoon, who took office earlier this month, has vowed to take a hard line with Pyongyang.

The latest launches on Wednesday are in a flurry of sanctions-violating weapons tests by Pyongyang this year, including the first full-range intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017.

US officials had warned that Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-un could conduct a nuclear test while Vice President Biden was in the region. Biden left South Korea on Sunday after a trip overshadowed by Kim Jong-un's possibility of running a nuclear test while Biden was in the country.

During his time in South Korea, Biden met with Yoon to discuss, among other things, expanding military drills to fight Kim's threats.

Due to Covid and to let Biden and Yoon's successors, Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in, engage in high-profile but ultimately fruitless talks with North Korea, joint drills were scaled back.

Any increase in forces or expansion of joint military exercises would certainly anger Pyongyang, which considers the exercises as invasion rehearsals.

Biden told reporters on his last day in Seoul that he had only a brief message for Kim: "Hello. Period."

In addition, he stated that the United States was "ready for whatever North Korea does."

Covid and munitions

Kim has recently intensified his military modernization effort.

New satellite footage reveals that the North has begun development at a long-dormant nuclear plant, despite its recent struggles with the Covid-19 epidemic.

North Korea verified its first Omicron cases in Pyongyang earlier this month, and the virus has already ravaged its 25 million unvaccinated citizens.

Since the pandemic began in late April, more than three million people have become ill with "fever," North Korean state media reported today, with 68 deaths.

The impact of this situation on Kim Jong-determination un's to conduct nuclear testing is one of the many unknowns that US and South Korean officials are assessing.

North Korea conducted a ballistic missile test on May 12, when leader Kim declared an "emergency" on the Covid outbreak.

North Korea launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile a few days ago, just three days after launching a separate ballistic missile.

The North Korean state media, which generally reports on successful weapons tests within 24 hours, has not commented on any of these launches.

Last week, South Korea said that North Korea's preparations for a nuclear test were complete and awaiting the appropriate moment.