North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Into The Waters Off East Coast: South Korea, Japan

A ballistic missile was fired by North Korea towards the sea off its east coast in the Korean peninsula over the weekend. The launch early Sunday morning was taken by South Korea as an act of provocation, as it proceeds to plan joint military drills with U.S. forces from Monday to Thursday. The short-range missile was fired from the Taechon area of North Pyongan Province.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea’s launch was considered to be an act of “grave provocation” whereby it threatens the security and peace of the Korean peninsula as well as the international community. The timely launch is also perceived as a threat that somehow coincided shortly after the announced visit of Vice President Kamala Harris to the region after she attends the state funeral of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

The single ballistic missile fired just before 7 a.m. local time recorded a flight altitude of 60km as it flew about 600km with a speed of Mach 5. Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile fell outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Soon after the launch, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Seung-kyum and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Paul LaCamera reaffirmed the readiness of both countries in the event of any threat from the North.

As South Korean forces are scheduled to engage in joint military drills with the U.S. this week, North Korea’s missile launch came after the arrival of the nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. While these joint drills have been heavily criticized by Russia and China, North Korea has also consistently criticized the joint military exercises citing these as proof of the hostile policies of both countries.

Meanwhile, the recent missile launch counts as the 19th launch test by North Korea this year. This includes the first test launch of its intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017. South Korea’s newly elected President Yoon Suk Yeol promised closer ties with the U.S. as he reassured a tougher stance on the North’s unrelenting nuclear provocations. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ruled out any possibility of talks for denuclearization as he passed into law declaring North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.