Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, South Korea said, a day after the start of the largest joint maneuvers by Seoul and Washington in five years.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said they detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from the coastal town of Jangyon in South Hwanghae province. in the southeast of the country, between 07:41 (22:41 on Mondays in Lisbon) and 07:51.
“Our forces have increased their vigilance in anticipation of further launches, while they stand ready to intervene in the context of close cooperation between South Korea and the United States,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
This was stated in a second statement the missiles fell into the waters of the Sea of Japan after flying about 620 kilometers.
The joint chiefs of staff said South Korea and the US military intelligence agencies are “thoroughly analyzing” the launches to obtain more information and condemned the launches as serious provocation and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said authorities were still gathering details about the North Korean launches and there were no immediate reports of damage in Japanese waters.
“We can expect more showdowns from Pyongyang”
Pyongyang said Monday it had tested two cruise missiles from a submarine.
The launch demonstrates “North Korea’s unchanging position” in the face of a situation where “US imperialists and South Korean puppet forces are advancing less and less veiled in their military maneuvers” against Pyongyang, This is reported by the official North Korean news agency KCNA.
These North Korean missile launches come after the armed forces of the United States and South Korea, also on Monday, began the largest joint ground maneuvers in recent years.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said that while Pyongyang regularly justified missile tests by pointing the finger at military exercises in the south, they also served a national purpose.
“It’s largely about the Kim regime not looking weak as it deals with internal economic difficulties and while South Korea has managed to strengthen its conventional firepower and defense partnerships,” he told Agence France-Presse.
“We can expect more showdowns from Pyongyang,” Easley added.
“Further missile launches, with variations in style and range, and even a nuclear test are expected. Further acts of intimidation by North Korea should come as no surprise,” said Chun In-bum, a retired North Korean general.
Source: DN
