North Korea yesterday fired two short-range missiles off the east coast into the sea, resuming testing after a three-month pause, South Korea’s military said.
The missiles were launched from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan and flew 240km and reached 35km in altitude, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
North Korea appears to be continuing a firing drill that its leader, Kim Jong-un, oversaw on Friday, the JCS said.
Photo: Reuters
Yesterday’s launch was the first since the North fired what it called “super-large multiple rocket launchers” on Nov. 28 last year.
South Korea’s presidential Blue House said national security adviser Chung Eui-yong held an emergency video conference with ministers of related agencies to analyze the latest test.
“The ministers expressed strong concern over North Korea’s resumption of short-range missile launches in three months,” the Blue House said in a statement. “Such actions are unhelpful for efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and they urged North Korea to stop them.”
JCS said it is monitoring for potential additional launches.
“The launches could be viewed as a symbolic gesture marking the one-year anniversary of the [US President Donald] Trump-Kim Hanoi summit ending in a no-deal,” said Choi Soon-mi, a professor of North Korean studies at Ajou University’s Institute of Unification in Suwon. “And they could be using this day as a platform to nudge for either Washington or Seoul to take actions for their demands, such as sanctions relief.”
Based on the limited information available, the projectiles appear to be the KN-24 — a solid-fuel, short-range ballistic missile — or a multiple rocket launch system, said Melissa Hanham, a weapons expert and deputy director of the Open Nuclear Network.
With their low altitude and maneuverability, KN-24 missiles “are difficult to track and intercept,” Hanham said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the launch a serious issue for the international community, while China reiterated a call for dialogue in response to the missile launch and said all sides involved in efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons should reconcile conflicts through discussion.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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