SEOUL– The National Security Council met Sunday to discuss North Korea’s missile launches a day after South Korea and the United States held military exercises involving a U.S. aircraft carrier.
The meeting was presided over by National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han. A plenary session presided over by President Yoon Suk-yeol could be held later “if necessary,” the presidential office said in a notice to reporters.
North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea earlier Sunday in its 18th show of force this year, according to South Korea’s military.
The last time North Korea launched a missile was on May 25, when it tested one intercontinental ballistic missile and two short-range ballistic missiles as U.S. President Joe Biden was en route to Washington after visiting South Korea and Japan.
“A decision will be made on whether President Yoon will preside over a meeting following an internal assessment on how grave the situation is,” a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency.
Yoon had initially planned to take part in volunteer work picking up trash along the Han River together with first lady Kim Keon-hee. After the missile tests, he canceled the plan and went to work at the presidential office.
Source: Yonhap News Agency