SEOUL (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Towards its eastern waters, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday, continuing a provocative pattern of weapons testing as a US aircraft carrier visits South Korea for joint military drills in response to the North’s expanding nuclear threat.
The missile, which was fired from the western inland town of Taechon, travelled 600 km (370 miles) across the nation and reached a maximum altitude of 60 km (37 miles) before coming to rest in the waters off North Korea’s eastern coast, the joint chiefs of staff of South Korea said.
The military of South Korea denounced North Korea’s launch as a contravention of resolutions of the UN security council.
The joint chiefs of staff of South Korea declared in a statement that North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea was a serious provocation that threatened the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the world community.
The president’s office stated on Saturday that South Korea had earlier discovered indications the North was getting ready to launch a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a weapon Pyongyang last tested in May.
Despite not posing an immediate threat to US territory or personnel, or to their allies, the US Indo-Pacific Command stated that the launch highlighted the destabilising consequences of North Korea’s unlawful nuclear weapons and missile programmes.
A short-range ballistic missile was tested in May by the North from Sinpo, a significant naval facility in North Korea.
The joint chiefs of staff in Seoul stated early on Sunday, “North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea ”. No additional information was provided.
A probable launch of a ballistic missile was also confirmed by the Japanese coast guard, according to data from Tokyo’s defence ministry.
The coast guard advised ships to keep an eye out for any fresh information and to report any foreign objects rather than approaching them.
The object looked to have fallen outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, reported the official broadcaster NHK of Japan.
After years of unsuccessful negotiation with North Korea under his predecessor, South Korea’s hawkish president Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, has vowed to increase joint military drills with the US.
As part of a campaign by Washington and Seoul to have more US strategic assets operating in the region, the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and ships from its strike group arrived in the southern port city of Busan on Friday.
Following visits by President Joe Biden in May and Speaker of the US House Nancy Pelosi last month, Yoon is also scheduled to see US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday when she is in Seoul.
This month, the USS Reagan will take part in joint exercises off the east coast of South Korea.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as Washington, Seoul’s main security ally, guards the country from the North.
The two nations have long engaged in joint drills, which they maintain are only defensive in nature but which North Korea interprets as invasion drills.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, is reportedly planning to conduct another nuclear test, according to South Korean and US sources who have been issuing warnings for months.
Since 2006, the isolated dictatorship has conducted six nuclear weapons tests. Its most recent and potent one in 2017, which Pyongyang claimed was a hydrogen bomb, had a 250 kiloton estimated yield.
The eastern port of Sinpo, where North Korea has a significant shipyard producing submarines, was filled with numerous barges and other boats on Wednesday, the North Korea-focused website 38 North’s analysis of commercial satellite images show. The report said, the North may be getting ready to launch a new submarine that can fire ballistic missiles.
Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and the Guardian contributed to this report.
