Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been on the rise for some time now. This is also due to missile tests by the leadership in Pyongyang. North Korea has now fired several missiles.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea has fired around ten missiles towards the open sea. The General Staff in Seoul announced on Thursday that they were probably short-range ballistic missiles and a deliberate provocation. The missiles were fired from the capital region of Pyongyang and flew around 350 kilometers before falling into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan. Further data is still being evaluated in cooperation with the USA and Japan, it said.
Ballistic missiles can – depending on their design – be equipped with a nuclear warhead. North Korea is subject to international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons and missile program. Launches and even tests of ballistic missiles of any range are prohibited in the isolated country by UN resolutions. However, the leadership in Pyongyang repeatedly ignores these bans.
The new rocket launch came two days after North Korea’s failed attempt to put a military-grade satellite into Earth orbit. The “new type” carrier rocket carrying the reconnaissance satellite “Malligyong-1-1” exploded in the air shortly after launch, state media reported on Tuesday night (local time).
South Korea held an air force exercise with several fighter jets near the inter-Korean border on Monday after North Korea announced the satellite launch. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened a resolute response to the military exercise a day later.
Criticism for satellite launch
The ultimately failed satellite launch was met with international criticism. Like the USA and South Korea, UN Secretary-General António Guterres accused North Korea of using technology that was directly related to its ballistic missile program. The German government also condemned the launch for the same reasons. North Korea criticized Guterres’ statement and, in a statement by the Foreign Ministry, cited it as simply exercising its right to use space like other countries.
After a period of de-escalation, the conflict on the Korean peninsula has become significantly more explosive again in the recent past. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has been increasingly testing ballistic missiles and other weapons. The rhetoric against the governments of South Korea and the USA, which have expanded their military cooperation, has also intensified.
Source: Stern
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