SEOUL, South Korea (Washington Insider Magazine)– Following the day it warned of escalating tensions in the region because of repositioning of a U.S. aircraft carrier close to the Korean Peninsula, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles towards the waters near east in the most recent string of weapons testing.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said in a release that it had detected 2 missiles launched from the eastern coastal city of Munchon on Sunday between 1:48 and 1:58 a.m. Additionally, it stated that South Korea’s military closely coordinates with the US military and has been boastful of its monitoring posture and readiness.
According to ABC NEWS, North Korea’s pursuit of the potential to launch missiles from a submarine would be a worrying development for its rivals because detecting such launches beforehand is much harder. The last submarine-launched missile test by North Korea is thought to have occurred in May.
Before falling into the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, the missiles, according to estimates from the Japanese and South Korean forces, traveled around 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached the maximum altitude of 90 to 100 kilometers (56 to 60 miles).
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave authorities orders to compile and examine all available data and swiftly expedite any updates about tests to the public. In addition to preparing for any emergencies, his administration stated that it was working to ensure the safety of all ships and aircraft in the waters surrounding Japan.
South Korea’s presidential office stated that Kim Sung-han, National Security Director called an urgent security meeting following the launches, where members reviewed the South’s defense readiness and talked about ways to improve collaboration with Japan and the US to counter the ever-growing North Korean threats.
Seoul cautioned that Pyongyang’s repeated provocations will increase “instability of the regime” by degrading its economy and people’s standard of living and deepening its isolation from the rest of the world.
In a statement, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that the launches didn’t present any imminent threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or its allies. The launches, however, did demonstrate “the destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s illegitimate ballistic missile programs and weapons of mass destruction. It stated that America’s pledges to South Korea’s and Japan’s defense were “ironclad.”The launch, which was the North’s 7th round of weapons testing in 2 weeks, came hours after South Korea and the United States concluded two days of naval exercises off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.
