Another ballistic missile launch by North Korea has been condemned as “a serious provocation that harms peace”.
South Korea’s military said a pair of short-range ballistic missiles were detected overnight Saturday flying towards its eastern waters – the latest in the country’s barrage of weapons tests in recent days.
The launch, the North’s sixth round of weapons tests in two weeks, came hours after the United States and South Korea completed a new series of naval exercises off the east coast of the Korean peninsula. The exercises involved nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
North Korea’s military has defended its recent missile tests as a “righteous reaction” to what it called daunting military exercises. He said the US redeployment of the aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula was causing a “considerable negative splash” in regional security.
The Reagan and her battle group returned to the area after North Korea fired a powerful missile over Japan earlier this week to protest the carrier battle group’s previous training with South Korea.
North Korea views U.S.-South Korean military exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion and is particularly sensitive if such exercises involve strategic U.S. assets like an aircraft carrier.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
The country has argued that it was forced to pursue a nuclear weapons program to deal with US nuclear threats, although US and South Korean officials have repeatedly said they have no intention of continuing. attack the North.
Over the past two weeks, North Korea has fired 10 ballistic missiles into the sea in five launches.
A report on North Korea’s attacks on Japan
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Sirens wail as missiles are fired at Japan
Recent weapons tests include a nuclear capability missile that flew over Japan for the first time in five years and demonstrated range to strike the U.S. Pacific Territory of Guam and beyond.
Earlier this year, North Korea tested other nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that put the continental United States and its allies South Korea and Japan within striking range.
North Korea’s test spree indicates that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has no intention of resuming diplomacy with the United States and wants to focus on expanding his arsenal of weapons.
