1 week Ago By [email protected](KoreaTimes)
A TV screen at Seoul Station displays news about North Korea’s launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles, Tuesday. Yonhap Pyongyang’s latest missile tests send message to Washington: experts By Kwak Yeon-soo North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, Tuesday, in what appears to be an attempt to assert its presence just before the U.S.
presidential election, according to analysts, Tuesday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missiles were launched around 7:30 a.m.
from the Sariwon area in North Hwanghae Province. They traveled approximately 400 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers, before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the ocean. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed that Tuesday's launch involved at least seven missiles.
The South Korean military denounced the latest launch as an illegal provocation that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
“While closely monitoring North Korea’s various activities under a firm combined defense posture between South Korea and the U.S., we will maintain overwhelming capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation.
We make it clear that all responsibility arising from tensions between the two Koreas lies entirely with North Korea,” the JCS said. The latest launch came just five days after Pyongyang test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), called the Hwasong-19, which was designed to reach the U.S.
mainland. North Korea praised its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as “the world’s strongest strategic missile,” asserting that it has established an "irreversible hegemonic position" in the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. In response, the U.
S. deployed a long-range B-1B bomber for a joint air drill with South Korea and Japan on Sunday. Analysts said Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launches send a clear message to Washington and its allies.
On Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement condemning the joint air drill conducted by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, accusing them of escalating tensions with “aggressive military threats.
” “Kim Yo-jong said in the statement that Pyongyang’s latest launch was to protest the joint air drill by the U.S., South Korea and Japan.
It can also be interpreted as sending a message to the next U.S. administration that the U.
S. is responsible for rising regional tensions and the North’s nuclear buildup is the most correct choice for them,” Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said. “Although Pyongyang’s missile launches are unlikely to sway voters, they could influence foreign policy advisers when they make post-election decisions.
I think the intended target of North Korea’s message is Donald Trump in particular,” Hong added. “I think North Korea’s ICBM test launch on Thursday and the unveiling of its uranium enrichment facility in September were clearly intended to send a message to the U.S.
,” a senior unification ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, Monday. Reuters-Yonhap The latest launch came a day after North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, according to Russia’s TASS new agency.
“I believe Putin met Choe upon North Korea’s request,” the unification ministry official said. Pyongyang and Moscow have intensified their cooperation since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June. The Ministry of National Defense said some North Korean troops in Russia have moved to the front line areas in the war with Ukraine.
"More than 10,000 North Korean troops have currently gone to Russia, and we estimate that a considerable number of them have moved to frontline areas, including the Kursk region," Jeon Ha-kyou, a defense ministry spokesperson, said at a press briefing, adding that South Korea’s military and intelligence authorities are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine..
