SEOUL – North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, while South Korean forces were wrapping up nearly two weeks of exercises aimed at deterring their northern neighbour.
The missile launches, at a time of growing fears that North Korea is preparing its first nuclear test since 2017, were the latest in a year in which North Korea has tested a record number of missiles, whether short-range missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), or others.
The SRBMs were fired from the Tongcheon area of Gangwon province, on North Korea’s east coast, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, four days after North and South Korea exchanged warning shots off the west coast of the divided peninsula.
“Our military is maintaining full readiness posture,” the JCS said in a statement, adding that it had stepped up monitoring and security while coordinating closely with the United States.
The launches did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies, the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. But they “highlight the destabilising impact” of North Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes, it added.
The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan spoke by telephone and condemned the launches as a provocation and violation of UN Security Council resolutions, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.
“North Korea’s nuclear and missile development will only lead to strengthening security cooperation in the region and abroad,” the ministry said in a statement, urging North Korea to return to talks.
South Korean troops were set on Friday to finish the 12-day Hoguk 22 field exercises, which have included some drills with US troops.
About 240 South Korean and US warplanes are due to begin the Vigilant Storm drills on Monday, flying 1,600 sorties in the largest number of missions ever staged for such exercises, the US Air Force said.
The allied aircraft will perform “major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations 24 hours a day during the training period,” the air force said. Ground forces will also practise base defence procedures and survivability in case of attack.
North Korea has said that recent missile launches were in protest against the joint exercises, which it says are provocative and a rehearsal for an invasion. South Korea and the United States say the exercises are defensive and needed to counter the North’s threats.
The United States and its allies believe North Korea could be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said the North has completed all necessary technical preparations for an underground detonation at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which has been officially shuttered since 2018.
North Korea conducted six nuclear tests at the site from 2006 to 2017.
A seventh North Korean nuclear test would be further “confirmation of a programme which is moving full steam ahead in a way that is incredibly concerning,” the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday.
South Korea has warned that a resumption of nuclear testing by North Korea would have to be met with an “unparalleled” response from the allies, but neither it nor the United States has given details. REUTERS
