Seoul: North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, as reported by South Korea's military. This marks the second such launch within a week, seemingly in protest against the impending joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the missile launch from the Wonsan area on the east coast at approximately 6 a.m. The missile covered a distance of over 700 kilometers, with South Korean and U.S. authorities currently analyzing its specifications. While the exact type and range of the missile have not been confirmed, the provided range indicates it may have been a short-range missile, typically capable of flying 300 to 1,000 kilometers.
The North Korean KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles, resembling Russia's Iskander missiles, have a maximum range of 700-800 kilometers. This recent launch follows six days after North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea.
The missile launches coincide with South Korea and the U.S. preparing for their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise next week. North Korea has previously criticized these drills as rehearsals for war and has conducted its own weapons tests as a form of protest. Unlike previous instances where North Korea announced its missile launches via state media, there has been no report on last week's launch, suggesting a potential failure or the test-firing of a new or longer-range missile.
Yang Moo-jin, a senior professor at the University of North Korean Studies, noted, "It could be a repeat of last week's launch following its suspected failure and is believed to be a test-firing aimed at improving its missile capabilities." He further speculated that given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, it might also be an effort to upgrade the Hwasong-11 missiles, designed to carry tactical nuclear warheads.
The JCS confirmed that South Korean and U.S. intelligence tracked the launch from its early stages, sharing information with Japan and maintaining full readiness between the countries. A statement from the JCS emphasized the commitment to monitoring North Korean activities and maintaining the capability to respond decisively to any provocation.
South Korea's National Security Office (NSO) expressed concern over the continued missile launches since last week, urging North Korea to cease actions violating U.N. Security Council resolutions. Following Wednesday's launch, the NSO held an emergency meeting with defense and military officials to assess the situation and implement necessary measures.
The launch, observed from South Korea's eastern coastal area in Goseong county, Gangwon Province, approximately 130 kilometers from Wonsan, has been assessed by the U.S. Pacific Command as not posing an immediate threat to the U.S. territory and its allies. This event marks the 11th missile launch by North Korea this year.