North Korea fires dozen missiles after South Korea’s offer of border talks

North Korea launched about a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off the country’s east coast Thursday, as tensions rise over border security and the halt in dialogue with the North.

The rockets were fired from the Wonsan region around 12:30 p.m. local time and flew about 250 km towards the East Sea, or the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, citing the Yonhap News Agency.

“Our military has increased its monitoring and alertness to any other possible launches,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced and said it was working with the United States and Japan.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Coast Guard said it also detected a possible ballistic missile launch and told ships to stay vigilant and steer clear of anything that may have dropped into the water.

The launches were announced a week after Seoul offered to hold military talks with Pyongyang to resolve a row over their militarized border. South Korean soldiers were wounded in September by a landmine explosion that Seoul accused North Korea of planting. Pyongyang said it was not involved.

There is no formal peace treaty between the two nations, which are technically still at war, because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice.

The recent launches come after a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang, which has continued to build up its armed forces in defiance of international sanctions.