North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile
Twelfth Launch of the Year
North Korea has reportedly launched a ballistic missile, according to South Korean sources. The missile of unknown type was fired into the Sea of Japan (known as the East Sea in Korean), as announced by the South Korean General Staff.
The Japanese military also reported the test. The missile apparently fell outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone into the sea, as reported by NHK television. The flight time of 74 minutes was the longest achieved by a North Korean missile so far, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense cited by TV Asahi. The range was reported to be 1000 kilometers. Further details were not immediately available.
It was the twelfth missile launch this year. North Korea also successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with solid fuel for the first time this year. However, their attempt to launch a military spy satellite into space using a new carrier rocket failed.
UN resolutions prohibit the widely isolated country from conducting any launches of ballistic missiles, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads depending on their design.
Threat of Shooting Down Spy Planes
North Korea had previously threatened to shoot down US spy planes in its airspace. A spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Defense stated that the US Air Force risks an “accident,” such as the “crash of strategic reconnaissance aircraft,” as reported by the state-run North Korean news agency KCNA.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, stated that such an aircraft had entered the airspace above the exclusive economic zone twice but was driven away. The US and South Korea rejected North Korea’s accusations and urged the country to refrain from actions and rhetoric that escalate tensions.
Tensions Continue to Rise
Pyongyang also criticized the planned deployment of a US nuclear-powered submarine in South Korea, warning that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is moving closer to the “threshold of a nuclear conflict.”
In April, Washington reached an agreement with Seoul to strengthen the nuclear shield for South Korea. This will mark the first time in decades that a US submarine armed with nuclear missiles will be stationed in South Korea. No specific date for the deployment has been announced.
Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have recently escalated. The communist leadership in Pyongyang repeatedly threatens military escalation in the region.