North Korea test-fired seven ballistic missiles yesterday, on US Independence Day celebrations, South Korean officials said, further fueling regional tensions amid its nuclear standoff.
Seoul’s foreign ministry said all seven of the weapons launched into the Sea of Japan were ballistic missiles, which North Korea is banned from firing under UN Security Council resolutions.
It was the first time in three years that the communist state had fired multiple ballistic missiles.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles had a range of between 400km and 500km, but declined to say what type they were.
Yonhap news agency said they were either Scuds, or Rodong-1 missiles whose range of 1,000km to 1,300km had been shortened.
North Korea on Thursday test-fired seven short-range missiles with a range of 120km into the Sea of Japan.
The latest launches were seen as more provocative since the missiles could potentially reach most of South Korea, and possibly parts of Japan.
“The military, on the basis of a strong joint defense alliance with the United States, is fully prepared to fend off any threats or provocations by the North,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The foreign ministry said the missiles were fired from a site at Kitdaeryong on North Korea’s southeast coast.
It said the “provocative act ... clearly violates” three UN Security Council resolutions, including the latest one from last month that toughened weapons-related sanctions on North Korea in response to its May 25 nuclear test.
“The government expresses deep regret over North Korea’s continued acts to escalate tensions in Northeast Asia in ignorance of the UN Security Council resolutions and urges North Korea to faithfully implement the resolutions,” it said in a statement.
“The Scuds fired today impose a greater security threat to us because of their longer ranges,” one government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
“Thursday’s missile tests were apparently made as part of a military drill, but today’s [Saturday] launches, which came on the eve of the US Independence Day, are believed to be for political purposes,” the officials said.
Japan has condemned the launches.
“It is a serious act of provocation against the security of neighboring countries, including our country,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said.
Analysts said North Korea was flexing its military muscle amid the tough international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese government yesterday expressed concern and condemned any action that might undermine regional peace.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said any move that jeopardizes regional peace should be restrained, adding that regional disputes should be resolved in a peaceful manner.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS