North Korea fired a probable ballistic missile, Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday. The South Korean military has confirmed the launch, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo. On Saturday, “several cruise missiles” were launched in the Yellow Sea, between the Korean peninsula and China.
North Korea fired a probable ballistic missile, Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday. The projectile fell into the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, state broadcaster NHK reported, citing government officials. The South Korean military has confirmed the launch, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo.
Pyongyang regularly carries out missile tests. On Saturday, “several cruise missiles” were launched in the Yellow Sea, between the Korean peninsula and China. In mid-July, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the firing of the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, the solid-fuel Hwasong-18.
An acceleration of the arms race
Relations between the two Koreas are at an all-time low, with diplomacy at a standstill and Kim Jong Un calling for an acceleration of the arms race, including tactical nuclear weapons.
In response, Seoul and Washington conducted joint military exercises, incurring the ire of Pyongyang. The launch announced Monday comes shortly before celebrations in North Korea of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (1950-1953). A Chinese delegation is to travel to North Korea on this occasion for what will be the first visit by a foreign delegation since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the official North Korean agency KCNA said.