SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea on Monday test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its east sea for the second time in three days, prompting Japan to request an urgent UN Security Council meeting.
South Korea’s military said it detected two missile launches from a city on North Korea’s west coast on Monday morning, later confirmed by official North Korean media. It landed in waters outside its economic zone and flew a distance suggesting much of South Korea was within range, although it said no damage had been reported to aircraft or ships in the area.
South Korea and Japan have accused North Korea’s recent launches of being a threat to world peace and of violating UN Security Council resolutions banning North Korea’s ballistic activities. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that Tokyo was requesting an emergency Security Council meeting to respond to recent North Korean launches. The Security Council is unlikely to take further action against North Korea. China and Russia, which have veto powers involved in the conflict with Washington, have resisted US-led attempts to impose new sanctions over the past year.
She probably flew the B-1B long-range supersonic bomber to the United States on Sunday for separate exercises with South Korea and Japan in response to North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test on Saturday.
North Korea typically responds to the US’s B-1B flights, which can carry large amounts of conventional weapons, with offensive statements and its own military demonstrations.
In a statement on Sunday, Kim Yo Jong threatened to take more “strong” measures in light of upcoming military exercises between the United States and South Korea. North Korea said many of its previous weapons tests were warnings about US-South Korea military exercises.
South Korean and U.S. militaries responded to escalating missile tests this year and conducted larger and more frequent drills as concerns about COVID-19 receded. The two services are scheduled to hold a tabletop exercise this week to improve their joint response to North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons. The allies also plan to conduct joint computer simulation exercises and field training in March.
North Korea has repeatedly condemned the ongoing conflict between South Korea and the United States. Military training is conducted as training for aggression, but allies say their training is defensive in nature. Some observers say North Korea often uses rival exercises as a pretext to test and improve its weapons systems. Many experts believe that North Korea plans to eventually be recognized internationally as a legal nuclear power in order to lift international sanctions and receive other outside concessions.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said the new launches highlighted the “destabilizing effect” of North Korea’s illegal weapons programme. He said the US commitment to defending South Korea and Japan was “unwavering.”
North Korea said the tests included a new 600mm multiple rocket launch system capable of equipping it with “tactical” nuclear weapons for use on the battlefield. South Korean defense officials describe the weapon system as a short-range ballistic missile. The official KCNA news agency said the tests simulated attacks on targets up to 395 kilometers (245 miles) away.
Japan and South Korea estimate that North Korean missiles flew at maximum altitudes of 50 to 100 kilometers (30 to 60 miles) and ranges of 340 to 400 kilometers (210 to 250 miles).
Although North Korea claims to have missiles capable of striking both the U.S. mainland and South Korea with nuclear weapons, many foreign experts believe North Korea is capable of several measures, including manufacturing warheads small enough to carry. He says he hasn’t mastered the important skills yet. Mounted on missiles, it ensures that these warheads survive re-entry into the atmosphere.
