North Korea yesterday test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a recent flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.
The launches add to a series of weapons tests Pyongyang has carried out in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles and cluster munitions.
“Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea from the Sinpo area of North Korea at around 6:10am,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to a body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
Photo: KCNA via Reuters
“The missiles flew approximately 140km, and South Korean and US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications,” it added.
Seoul was maintaining a “firm combined defense posture” with security ally Washington, which stations about 28,000 troops in the South to help it defend against military threats from the North, and would “respond overwhelmingly to any provocation,” it said.
South Korea’s presidential office said it held an emergency security meeting over the launches.
Analysts said the tests signaled Pyongyang’s latest rejection of attempts by Seoul to repair strained ties.
Among them was an expression of regret from Seoul over civilian drone incursions into the North in January, a gesture initially described as “very fortunate and wise behavior” by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
However, a senior North Korean official this month described the South as “the enemy state most hostile” to Pyongyang, reviving a label previously used by Kim Jong-un.
“Pyongyang must immediately halt its successive missile provocations that are heightening tensions,” the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said, adding that the North should “actively engage in the South Korean government’s efforts to establish peace.”
Kim Jong-un earlier this month oversaw tests of strategic cruise missiles launched from a naval warship, with official photos showing him watching the firings flanked by military officials.
Those tests were carried out from the Choe Hyon, one of two 5,000-tonne destroyers in the North’s arsenal, both launched last year as the leader seeks to ramp up the country’s naval capabilities.
The North is also building two more 5,000-tonne class destroyers to add to its fleet.
A South Korean lawmaker said North Korea appeared to be speeding up construction of a destroyer at the western port city of Nampo.
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