North Korea has fired a long-range ballistic missile in the direction of the East Sea, according to a statement by Seoul’s military. The missile was launched from the Sunan area in Pyongyang and flew for about 1,000 km before landing in the sea. This occurred just hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan met for summit talks on issues related to bilateral relations and regional security.
Observers have raised concerns about the possibility of Pyongyang launching a solid-fuel ICBM, which would be faster to fire and harder to detect in advance of take-off. In response to the launch, South Korea and the United States’ intelligence authorities are conducting a comprehensive analysis of recent movements related to North Korea’s missile development program.
(Photo by EPA-EFE/JEON HEON-KYUN)
After the launch, JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum held virtual talks with Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, and reaffirmed that the allies will further strengthen their combined defense posture against any North Korean threats and provocations. The JCS strongly condemned North Korea’s series of ballistic missile launches as significant provocations that threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community. They also urged North Korea to immediately cease such launches.
Later in the day, President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plan to hold a summit in Tokyo to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The North’s growing nuclear and missile threats have created fresh momentum for Seoul and Tokyo to move beyond their historical feuds and work together to confront the security challenge.
The recent launch comes amid the ongoing South Korea-US Freedom Shield (FS) exercise, which North Korea has condemned as preparations for a war of aggression. There are concerns that North Korea may increase tensions with more powerful provocations, such as a solid-propellant ICBM test, the launch of an ICBM at a standard angle, or even a nuclear test. The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday and claimed to have launched two “strategic cruise missiles” from a submarine two days earlier in response to the FS exercise.
