Despite strong protests, North Korea continued its series of missile tests. South Korea’s military said North Korea again fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan (Korean: East Sea) on Thursday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
The missiles were launched near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. One flew 350 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers, the other 800 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers.
South Korea announced on Wednesday that the United States would again send its nuclear aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to waters east of the Korean peninsula. The ship most recently arrived in September for its first visit to South Korea in nearly four years and participated in naval maneuvers between South Korean and US forces. The aircraft carrier is expected to participate in another exercise with South Korea and Japan in international waters later in the day, according to Yonhap.
South Korea: “Serious provocation”
The South Korean military said, “North Korea’s continued missile launches are a serious provocation that threatens not only peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, but also international society.” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday morning, according to Yonhap, that his government would “comprehensively look after the safety and life of the population”. Since September 25, North Korea has launched six missiles.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also condemned North Korea’s repeated missile launches as “completely unacceptable”, as reported by Japanese news agency Kyodo. The government of Japan has filed a formal protest with the North Korean diplomatic mission in the Chinese capital through its embassy in Beijing.
On Tuesday, Pyongyang fired a medium-range ballistic missile that flew over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in nearly five years. Both the US and NATO strongly condemned the test. In response, the US and South Korea launched four surface-to-ground missiles towards the Sea of Japan on Wednesday. The last time North Korea launched a missile over Japan in 2017, the country carried out a nuclear weapons test a few days later. UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead.
Experts expect North Korea nuclear test
According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, North Korea is preparing to launch an undersea ballistic missile and an ICBM. Experts also expect North Korea to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017 in the coming weeks.
However, no common UN Security Council position on North Korean missile launches is in sight. Diplomats said no agreement on a text was expected at an emergency meeting on Wednesday in New York. Thus, a proposed joint statement from China before the meeting was blocked. Chinese Deputy Ambassador Geng Shuang blamed the US for North Korea’s behavior. In the past, Washington has not responded adequately to the country’s denuclearization measures. China is considered North Korea’s most important partner.