North Korea Launches Two Projectiles Near Japan; What Message Is Kim Jeong Un Trying To Send?

North Korea just fired two projectiles which landed into the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. At the moment, experts can’t yet confirm if the incident is part of the nation’s missile testing program.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missiles were fired at 12:37 p.m. on Monday from an area near the North Korean city of Wonsan, CNN reported. The projectiles’ flight distance is estimated to be 240 kilometers at an altitude of 35 kilometers.

The South Korean military suspects that the firing of the projectiles is likely part of North Korea’s military drills. At the moment, it was not identified just what kind of projectiles were fired.

North Korea’s military drill started on Friday, February 28, which is also the first year anniversary of Kim Jong Un’s summit in Hanoi where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump. Unfortunately, no agreement was reached between the two leaders.

Japan's Defense Ministry said that the projectiles did not cause any damage to ships or vessels in the area. However, the nation remains vigilant considering that North Korean has a history of launching ballistic missiles.

“The recent repeated launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea is a serious problem for the international community, including Japan," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, South Korea is also “monitoring related movements for possible additional launches and maintaining its readiness.” The country’s high-level officials which include Director of National Security Chung Eui-yong held an urgent meeting Monday after to discuss the projectiles’ launch by North Korea.

“Pyongyang instead appears intent on raising the stakes before South Korea's April elections and before the 'Super Tuesday' primaries of the US presidential campaign,” Ewha University professor Leif-Eric Easley.

South Korea will hold elections for the National Assembly this April. Analysts say that the Democratic Party could suffer in the coming polls due to President Moon Jae-in’s declining popularity as many South Koreans believe that he failed to deliver on his promise of fixing the economy. Meanwhile, voters in the United States will be heading to the polls for the Super Tuesday primaries.