South Korea’s military said it had detected multiple test missiles launched by Pyongyang towards the Sea of Japan. North Korea had tested a ballistic missile just a week ago.
South Korea’s military said North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea on Tuesday.
“North Korea fires an unidentified projectile towards East Sea,” South Korea’s military said.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they were fired from a northern inland area and flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) before landing in the the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
‘Clear provocation’
“We strongly condemn the launch as a clear provocation that seriously threatens the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula,” the JCS said. They added that the information was shared with its allies the US and Japan.
South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok said Seoul would sternly respond to the provocation, adding that the new launch was a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
This launch comes just a week after North Korea fired a new hypersonic missile system, its first for the year. It is designed to attack remote targets in the Pacific Ocean.
It came while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting South Korea, and was the first since Donald Trump’s reelection to office.
North Korea’s rivalry with the US
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to build his nuclear weapon collection to counter rivals South Korea and the US.
Kim’s alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised further concerns in the US about its nuclear capabilities.
In November, North Korea tested its most advanced solid fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Pyongyang is also believed to be helping Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine.
Kim has criticized Biden’s military alliance with South Korea and Japan as a “nuclear military bloc for aggression.”
Kim has not made any comments about Trump’s return to office, whom he met three times during his previous tenure as US president.
Experts say it is unlikely that the two sides will quickly resume diplomacy.
