North Korea has been carrying out a record series of weapons tests for several months, but the one carried out on Sunday, September 25, occurs in a particular context, when an American aircraft carrier is in South Korea for exercises. .
South Korean military “detected a short-range missile launched by North Korea at 6:53 a.m. [samedi à 23 h 53, heure de Paris] from around Taechon, North Pyongan Province, towards the East Sea » (Sea of Japan), the staff said in a statement.
The projectile traveled about 600 km at a maximum altitude of 60 km and at the speed of Mach 5 (about 6,000 km / h), said the staff. The Japanese Coast Guard has issued a warning to ships in the area where the missile fell. According to Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, the projectile ended its course outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The test took place as negotiations between Pyongyang and the international community over its nuclear and missile program have stalled. In particular, North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 in May, and adopted a new doctrine in early September proclaiming that the country will never give up atomic weapons.
“Unforgivable” launches according to Seoul
Repeated launches by Pyongyang are “absolutely unforgivable and the remarkable improvement in its missile technology is something we cannot ignore”Hamada told reporters. “Japan will continue to work on strengthening its defense capabilities by studying several options, including acquiring response capabilities”he added.
On Friday, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its accompanying flotilla arrived in the major port of Busan in the southern part of South Korea. He must participate in the coming days in joint exercises with the South Korean army off the eastern coast of the country.
This presence responds to the will of Seoul and Washington to increase the American presence in the region. Conservative South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl, who took office in May, has promised to strengthen military cooperation with the United States after his predecessor’s failed attempts at diplomatic rapprochement with the North. Mr. Yoon is also due to receive US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in Seoul.
Washington is Seoul’s main security ally, and has about 28,500 troops in South Korea. The two countries have long conducted joint exercises. They insist on their purely defensive character, but North Korea regards them as dress rehearsals for a future invasion of its territory.
South Korean and American officials have been warning for months that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is preparing to conduct another nuclear test. The regime has tested atomic bombs six times since 2006. The latest and most powerful test came in 2017, with an estimated yield of 250 kilotons. Pyongyang mentioned a hydrogen bomb.