North Korea launches ballistic missiles in warning to US and South Korea
Photo: military parade in North Korea (KCNA)
Pyongyang demonstratively launched its ballistic missile toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in response to joint maneuvers by Seoul and Washington, which are planning to hold military exercises. In this way, North Korea is attempting to signal to its adversaries about its intentions in the event of escalation, according to Yonhap.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the missile was detected around 6:00 AM. It was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea's east coast.
South Korean military authorities stated that they have strengthened surveillance and vigilance regarding possible additional launches.
"South Korea, the U.S. and Japan maintain a full readiness posture by closely sharing information regarding North Korea's ballistic missile launch," the JCS statement read.
Why Pyongyang launched the missile
The new launch comes amid preparations by South Korea and the US for annual joint military exercises, which are set to begin next week. Pyongyang strongly condemns these drills, calling them military rehearsals. During previous allied maneuvers, North Korea also conducted its own weapons tests, thereby signaling protest against the actions of Seoul and Washington.
Context
This is the second ballistic missile launch by North Korea in recent times. The previous launch occurred last Thursday. Following the latest launch, South Korea, the US, and Japan stated they were maintaining combat readiness and continuing to share information on North Korean activities.
Meanwhile, it has become known that Russia has begun increasingly using North Korean ballistic missiles in its attacks on Ukraine. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Earlier, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said at a briefing that North Korean missile units in Russia, if deployed, would immediately become a legitimate military target.
