North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile towards its eastern waters on Wednesday, in response to what it perceived as provocative U.S. reconnaissance activities near its territory. South Korea’s military detected the launch and increased its surveillance posture in coordination with the United States.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada stated that the missile was likely launched on a steep angle, a method North Korea often uses to avoid neighboring countries. It was expected to land at sea, approximately 550 kilometers east of the Korean Peninsula, outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
North Korea’s long-range missile program aims to target the mainland U.S. Although it has conducted several intercontinental ballistic missile launches since 2017, experts believe it still needs to master certain technologies to possess fully functional nuclear-armed ICBMs.
Prior to this launch, North Korea’s most recent long-range missile test occurred in April, utilizing a solid-fuel ICBM. Such weapons are harder to detect and intercept compared to liquid-fuel weapons.
This recent missile launch follows a series of statements from North Korea accusing the United States of conducting spy flights close to its territory. The U.S. and South Korea have dismissed these accusations and called for restraint.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned of a “shocking incident” and claimed that U.S. spy planes had flown over the North’s exclusive economic zone multiple times. She stated that the North scrambled warplanes to chase away the U.S. aircraft. North Korea’s military also threatened to shoot down U.S. spy planes.
According to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, North Korea’s statements against U.S. surveillance aircraft are part of its pattern to rally domestic support and justify weapons tests. It also aims to disrupt diplomatic coordination against it, evident by the timing of the statements during the NATO summit where South Korea and Japan’s leaders were meeting.
While North Korea has made similar threats in the past, these recent statements occur amid increased tension over North Korea’s missile tests earlier this year.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
