SEOUL: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Saturday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, making it the North’s fourth round of weapons launches this week that are seen as a response to military drills between his rivals.
South Korea’s military said it detected the two North Korean missile launches 18 minutes apart on Saturday morning from the northern capital region. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it also spotted the launches.
“The repeated firing of ballistic missiles by North Korea is a serious provocation that undermines peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the international community,” the South Korean chiefs of staff said in a statement. a statement.
He said South Korea strongly condemns the launches and urges North Korea to stop testing ballistic missiles.
Toshiro Ino, Japan’s deputy defense minister, called the launches “absolutely inadmissible.” He said North Korea’s four rounds of missile tests in one week were “unprecedented”.
According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the North Korean missiles traveled about 350 to 400 kilometers (220 to 250 miles) at a maximum altitude of 30 to 50 kilometers (20 to 30 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Ino, the Japanese deputy minister, said the missiles showed an “irregular” trajectory. The other five ballistic missiles fired by North Korea three times this week also show similar low trajectories.
Some experts say the weapons are nuclear-capable, highly maneuverable missiles modeled after the Russian Iskander missile. This Iskander-type missile is capable of hitting strategic targets in South Korea, including US military bases there.
Saturday’s launches came a day after South Korea, Japan and the United States held their first trilateral anti-submarine drills in five years off the east coast of the Korean peninsula. Earlier this week, South Korean and US warships conducted bilateral exercises in the region for four days. Both military exercises this week involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group.
North Korea views these military drills among its rivals as a rehearsal for invasion and often responds with its own weapons tests.
North Korea’s missile tests this week also came before and after US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to South Korea on Thursday and reaffirmed the US’ “ironclad” commitment to the security of its forces. Asian allies.
North Korea has carried out a record number of missile tests this year in what experts call a bid to expand its arsenal of weapons amid stalled nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Weapons tested this year included nuclear-capable missiles capable of reaching the American mainland, South Korea and Japan.
South Korean and US officials said North Korea had also completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test, which would be the first in five years.
Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ultimately wants to use the expanded nuclear arsenal to pressure the United States and others to accept his country as a legitimate nuclear state, a recognition he sees as necessary to obtain the lifting of international sanctions and other concessions.
Several United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles and nuclear devices. The country’s missile launches this year are seen as exploiting a split in the UN Council over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US-China contests.
In May, China and Russia vetoed a US-led attempt to toughen sanctions on North Korea for its ballistic missile launches.
“North Korea’s frequent short-range missile tests can strain the resources of the isolated state. But due to the impasse in the UN Security Council, they are a cheap way to Kim’s regime to signal its displeasure with Washington and Seoul’s defense drills while playing domestic politics to counter an external threat,” said Ewha University professor Leif-Eric Easley. from Seoul.
South Korea’s military said it detected the two North Korean missile launches 18 minutes apart on Saturday morning from the northern capital region. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it also spotted the launches.
“The repeated firing of ballistic missiles by North Korea is a serious provocation that undermines peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the international community,” the South Korean chiefs of staff said in a statement. a statement.
He said South Korea strongly condemns the launches and urges North Korea to stop testing ballistic missiles.
Toshiro Ino, Japan’s deputy defense minister, called the launches “absolutely inadmissible.” He said North Korea’s four rounds of missile tests in one week were “unprecedented”.
According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the North Korean missiles traveled about 350 to 400 kilometers (220 to 250 miles) at a maximum altitude of 30 to 50 kilometers (20 to 30 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Ino, the Japanese deputy minister, said the missiles showed an “irregular” trajectory. The other five ballistic missiles fired by North Korea three times this week also show similar low trajectories.
Some experts say the weapons are nuclear-capable, highly maneuverable missiles modeled after the Russian Iskander missile. This Iskander-type missile is capable of hitting strategic targets in South Korea, including US military bases there.
Saturday’s launches came a day after South Korea, Japan and the United States held their first trilateral anti-submarine drills in five years off the east coast of the Korean peninsula. Earlier this week, South Korean and US warships conducted bilateral exercises in the region for four days. Both military exercises this week involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group.
North Korea views these military drills among its rivals as a rehearsal for invasion and often responds with its own weapons tests.
North Korea’s missile tests this week also came before and after US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to South Korea on Thursday and reaffirmed the US’ “ironclad” commitment to the security of its forces. Asian allies.
North Korea has carried out a record number of missile tests this year in what experts call a bid to expand its arsenal of weapons amid stalled nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Weapons tested this year included nuclear-capable missiles capable of reaching the American mainland, South Korea and Japan.
South Korean and US officials said North Korea had also completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test, which would be the first in five years.
Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ultimately wants to use the expanded nuclear arsenal to pressure the United States and others to accept his country as a legitimate nuclear state, a recognition he sees as necessary to obtain the lifting of international sanctions and other concessions.
Several United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles and nuclear devices. The country’s missile launches this year are seen as exploiting a split in the UN Council over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US-China contests.
In May, China and Russia vetoed a US-led attempt to toughen sanctions on North Korea for its ballistic missile launches.
“North Korea’s frequent short-range missile tests can strain the resources of the isolated state. But due to the impasse in the UN Security Council, they are a cheap way to Kim’s regime to signal its displeasure with Washington and Seoul’s defense drills while playing domestic politics to counter an external threat,” said Ewha University professor Leif-Eric Easley. from Seoul.
