SEOUL, South Korea (Washington Insider Magazine) – South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff claimed North Korea launched 8 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) into the sea off its east coast early Sunday, an action Japan has described as “unprecedented.”
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles were fired from different locations in North Korea into the sea east of the Korean peninsula around 9:08 a.m. and 9:43 a.m. local time in Seoul early Sunday.
The missiles are North Korea’s 17th launch of the year. The most recent, on May 25, occurred just as US President Joe Biden was concluding his visit to Asia and preparing to return to the United States, reported CNN.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 8 missiles traveled around 68 and 416 miles (110 to 670 kilometers) at altitudes ranging from 15 to 55 miles (25 to 90 kilometers) with speeds ranging from Mach 3 to Mach 6.
They were fired from 4 North Korean locations: Tongchang-ri in North Pyongan province, Kaechon in South Pyongan province, Hamhung in South Hamgyong province, and the Sunan area of Pyongyang’s city.
North Korea’s several missile launches have been “strongly protested” by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who told journalists that they are a serious violation of UN resolutions.
Nobuo Kishi, Japan’s Minister Of Defense, described the launch as “unprecedented” and verified that at least 6, if not more, missiles were fired by North Korea landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Six of the projectiles, according to Japan’s Defense Department, attained a maximum height of 31 to 62 miles (50 to 100 kilometers) and went a distance of 186 to 249 miles (300 to 400 kilometers).
According to Kishi, Japan has officially denounced North Korea’s recent acts through diplomatic channels with China.
In a direct response to Sunday’s launch, South Korea’s national chief of security Kim Sung-han termed the North’s frequent missile tests “a challenge to the security posture” of the new administration at a conference of the National Security Council’s central committee, according to the office of the president.
The launch on Sunday was North Korea’s third after new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol assumed office on May 10.
Won In-choul, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Paul LaCamera, a senior commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, conducted a virtual conference and reaffirmed their unified defense potential to monitor and intercept North Korean projectiles.
The launch came a day after the US and South Korean fleets completed a 3-day simultaneous drill in the sea near Japan’s Okinawa, according to South Korea’s armed services.
The US Navy announced in a press statement that it had deployed the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, together with Carrier Strike Group 5.
The South Korean Navy’s ROKS Sejong The Great and the amphibious warfare ship Marado were also participating in the drill, according to the US Navy.
