South Korean foreign ministry

South Korea "strongly" condemned North Korea's latest launch of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) on Wednesday, warning that the North will face toughened sanctions and more pressure from the world going forward, Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.

"The North's missile launches are not only a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions that ban any launches using ballistic missile technology, but also a grave threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community," the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The government strongly condemns it and sternly warns that the North will face greatly toughened sanctions and pressure from us and the international community," it added.

Earlier in the day, the North fired off what appeared to be two Musudan IRBMs from its east coast in what amount to the fifth and sixth tests of the missile believed to be capable of reaching the US territory of Guam.

The South Korean military said that, of the two missiles launched, the first is presumed to have ended in failure. The second missile flew about 400 kilometers, which is regarded as a marked improvement from previous botched attempts.

Source : MENA