SEOUL (Reuters) – The North Korean regime, which has been ramping up rounds of ballistic missile tests since the start of the year, fired on Sunday morning what appears to be a medium-range ballistic missile whose trajectory bears witness to the ability of Pyongyang to resume long-range missile testing.
According to the South Korean chief of staff, the projectile was launched around 2250 GMT from the North Korean province of Jagang in the direction of the ocean.
An emergency meeting of South Korea’s National Security Council, chaired by President Moon Jae-in, concluded that the test appeared to involve a medium-range ballistic missile.
If this hypothesis turns out to be correct, the North Korean regime would be one step closer to abandoning its self-imposed moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile testing, commented Moon Jae-in.
North Korea has not tested nuclear weapons or very long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, but has been developing a range of more maneuverable missiles and warheads in recent years, no doubt intended to thwart US or southern defenses. -horns.
Pyongyang has carried out half a dozen missile tests since the beginning of the month, while North Korea’s number one Kim Jong-un called in his New Year’s greetings for a reinforcement of the country’s military capacities, citing the security context on stalemate in discussions with the United States on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
North Korea says it is open to discussions on regional security, making it a condition that the United States and other countries stop pursuing a “hostile policy” against it, through sanctions or military maneuvers.
China and Russia are campaigning within the UN Security Council to lift Pyongyang’s export ban on certain products such as seafood and textiles, and raise a ceiling on its imports of refined petroleum.
(French version Nicolas Delame)