North Korean Missile Launch
Seoul’s military reported that North Korea launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles early Tuesday, marking Pyongyang‘s second missile launch within days and occurring just hours before Americans cast their votes for a new president.
Last week, the North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, conducted a test launch of its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, according to Kim Jong Un, in his first weapons test following accusations of supporting Russia in the conflict with Ukraine.
Pyongyang, despite denying the deployment, faces increasing global demands to pull out its troops from Russia, as Seoul cautioned on Tuesday that numerous soldiers were being sent to the front lines, including Kursk.
Seoul’s military officials reported that they spotted the firing of “multiple short-range ballistic missiles” at approximately 7:30 am on Tuesday towards the waters to the east of the Korean peninsula.
Seoul’s military monitored the launch in real time and shared information with Tokyo and Washington as the missiles traveled around 400 kilometers (248 miles).
It was added that our military has increased surveillance and alertness in readiness for more launches.
Tokyo also verified North Korea’s recent weapons test, with chief government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi stating that the North’s continued ballistic missile launches endanger the peace and security of Japan.
Response
On Sunday, a collaborative air exercise was carried out by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, which included a US B-1B bomber, South Korean F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, and Japanese F-2 jets, in reaction to the ICBM launch.
Such collaborative exercises anger North Korea, as they see them as practice for a potential attack.
Aggressions
According to Han Kwon-hee of the Korea Association of Defence Industry Studies, Pyongyang’s most recent launch was in direct retaliation to the trilateral aerial exercises held over the weekend.
Han added that with a salvo of short-range missiles, North Korea is not only showing they have the ability to target the US with long-range missiles, but also have short-range ones to hit all bases in South Korea and Japan.
Kim Yo Jong, who is the sister of the leader of the country and a significant spokesperson, labeled the US-South Korea-Japan exercises as a demonstration of the enemy’s aggressive and hostile nature towards our Republic.
She stated via the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday that the exercise proved the importance and necessity of our decision to enhance our nuclear capabilities.
Seoul has frequently charged the nuclear-armed North with providing weapons to aid Moscow in battling Kyiv, claiming that Pyongyang has increased its deployment of troops since Kim Jong Un entered into a mutual defense agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.
Jeon Ha-gyu, a spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Ministry, stated on Tuesday that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, with many positioned in frontline regions like Kursk.
Seoul, a significant arms seller, is considering sending weapons directly to Ukraine, a move it had previously avoided due to a domestic policy prohibiting weapon supply to ongoing conflicts.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, stated that by conducting recent tests, North Korea is demonstrating that its involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine does not limit its military actions within its own borders.
However, working together with Moscow seems to lead to obvious breaches of UN Security Council resolutions.
Robert Wood, deputy US ambassador to the UN, strongly criticized North Korea’s progressing ballistic missile program on Monday, accusing Russia and China of hindering the UN’s ability to hold Pyongyang responsible.
He said Beijing and Moscow have continuously protected North Korea, helping to make their tests more acceptable and giving them confidence to ignore the Council’s sanctions and resolutions.
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