South Korea’s general staff said the short-range missile was fired east toward the sea. The missile launch came days after a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier arrived in the region for joint military exercises with South Korea.
Sunday’s missile launch is the latest in a series of weapons tests North Korea has conducted since the beginning of the year, including an ICBM. South Korea and the US fear that Pyongyang is also preparing a nuclear weapons test. It would be the first such test since 2017. North Korea has tested six nuclear weapons since 2006.
“Our military remains on full alert and is working closely with the US while increasing surveillance and vigilance,” South Korea’s general staff said after the missile launch.
Japanese Defense Minister: “Remarkable improvement in missile technology”
The Japanese Coast Guard issued a warning to ships in the affected region after the missile launch. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile landed outside the Exclusive Economic Zone off the Japanese coast. “North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches are absolutely unforgivable, and the remarkable improvement in its missile technology is something we cannot overlook,” Hamada said.
Last Friday, a US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for the first time in around five years. The arrival of the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan and several escort ships in the port city of Busan underscores the “strength of the alliance between South Korea and the United States,” said a Defense Ministry official in Seoul.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wants to increase the number of joint maneuvers with the US amid ongoing tensions with Pyongyang. The now planned exercise should “deter North Korea from threats with nuclear weapons and missiles,” according to the South Korean Defense Ministry. Yoon is scheduled to meet US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, who is visiting Seoul next week.
The political scientist Soo Kim from the US institute Rand Corporation pointed to the time of the missile test between the arrival of the “USS Ronald Reagan” and Harris’ visit: “It’s North Korea’s way of showing its contempt for the alliance.” Washington is Seoul’s most important military ally. Around 28,500 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea, and joint maneuvers take place regularly. While the US and South Korea insist on their defensive nature, North Korea sees it as an exercise for an invasion.
Officials in South Korea and the United States have been warning for months that Pyongyang could conduct a nuclear weapons test for the first time since 2017. The Office of the President in Seoul announced on Saturday that there were indications that a missile was planned to be launched from a nuclear submarine. Pyongyang had already completed such a test in May.
Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang has tested more weapon systems than ever before. On September 9, the authoritarian country published a law declaring a pre-emptive nuclear strike permissible. Pyongyang also ruled out nuclear disarmament in the country.
Source: Nachrichten
