Thursday March 25, 2021
Notice of ballistic missiles
North Korea fires projectiles into the sea
North Korea continues its weapons tests. According to Seoul, the country has fired “unidentified projectiles” into the Sea of Japan. These could be missiles whose testing the country is prohibited by UN resolutions.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles towards the open sea. The missiles were shot down on Thursday morning (local time) in the east of the country, said the General Staff in South Korea. It was initially unclear whether the missiles were ballistic missiles. Further investigations would be carried out with the US military, it said.
South Korea’s National Security Council wanted to deal with the weapons test in an emergency meeting, according to the presidential office in Seoul. The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported, citing a government official, that North Korea may have fired two ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan on its east coast. They fell into the sea outside of Japanese waters.
UN resolutions forbid the country, which is isolated because of its nuclear weapons program, from testing missiles which, depending on their design, can also carry a nuclear warhead. Last Sunday, North Korea fired two suspected short-range cruise missiles on the west coast, reports from South Korea. The US also confirmed the test, but US President Joe Biden played it down. Guided missile tests are not subject to sanctions against the isolated country. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles have their own permanent propulsion system.
North Korea has been testing missiles with various ranges for many years. It is also developing long-range missiles that could hit targets in the United States. The communist government in Pyongyang accuses the USA of hostile policies. The bilateral negotiations on the North Korean nuclear program have not made any progress for two years. The new US administration under President Joe Biden is currently in the process of formulating a new North Korea policy in cooperation with South Korea and other allied countries.
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