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SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea fired \u201caround a dozen\u201d short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, Seoul\u2019s defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row.<\/strong><\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said its military detected \u201caround a dozen short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea towards the East Sea\u201d, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cOur military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance against possible additional launches,\u201d it added in its statement.<\/p>\n The Japan Coast Guard separately said that \u201can object that appears to be a ballistic missile launched from North Korea seems to have already fallen\u201d, urging ships to be vigilant.<\/p>\n North Korea has tested a slew of weapons recently, including a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both of which were said to employ AI technology.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s flurry of missiles comes against the backdrop of growing tensions over a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas that saw three South Korean soldiers wounded.<\/p>\n A joint Seoul-UN investigation earlier this month concluded that North Korea planted the landmines over a year ago.<\/p>\n Seoul accused Pyongyang of \u201ca clear violation of the Armistice Agreement\u201d and called for the North to return to dialogue.<\/p>\n No response<\/strong><\/p>\n Pyongyang has since ridiculed South Korean President Lee Jae Myung\u2019s overture, with Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North\u2019s leader, dubbing it \u201cthe climax of the farce\u201d.<\/p>\n Last week, South Korea proposed military talks with the North to \u201cmutually confirm the precise location\u201d of their border and discuss restoring communication channels, but Pyongyang has yet to respond.<\/p>\n The DMZ is one of the world\u2019s most heavily fortified frontiers, and landmine incidents have previously heightened tensions between the two countries.<\/p>\n Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war, as the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty.<\/p>\n The ratcheting tensions come as US President Donald Trump\u2019s recent overtures to North Korea have raised concerns that Seoul \u2014 an ally of Washington \u2014 could be sidelined in potential nuclear talks involving Pyongyang.<\/p>\n In his most recent comments, Trump seemingly downplayed the possibility of a summit while insisting his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is \u201cvery good\u201d.<\/p>\n In October, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles a day after Trump suggested the two might meet this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n