South Korea’s military said it detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday morning
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday morning, the South Korean military reported. Seoul claims that this is the fourth such test in just one week.
Pyongyang has stated that the show of force is guaranteed thanks to joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul on the peninsula.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the DPRK’s west coast at 11:05 a.m. local time and traveled 800 km (500 miles) before hitting a target in the East Sea (known elsewhere as the Sea of Japan). as quoted. the media.
In a statement, South Korean military officials noted that the country’s armed forces “Maintaining a posture of full readiness in close cooperation with the United States“waiting”additional runs.»
Japan’s coast guard also confirmed North Korea’s latest missile launch.
The US Indo-Pacific Command also confirmed the launch, which it described as “destabilizing”, adding that the rocketdo not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory or to our allies.The American military has re-established itself in WashingtonironcladCommitment to defend South Korea and Japan.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the US nuclear-capable B-1B strategic bomber has returned “for the joint exercise on Sunday, just 16 days after the previous deployment.»
On Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which he said was designed to “strike fear into enemies” and “prevent war“quotes the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The test follows several others that have been conducted in recent days.
Pyongyang says the latest increase in missile launches is in response to ongoing US-South Korea military exercises called Freedom Shield. The North has repeatedly stated that it views the exercises as preparation for military aggression.
South Korea and the United States described the drills, which began on Monday and ended on Thursday, as the largest of its kind since 2017. The two allies insist that the DPRK’s actions, including a record number of missile launches in 2022, make the exercises necessary.