North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles into Sea of ​​Japan for second time

North Korea fired a series of short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of ​​Japan, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, the South Korean military said. The launch, which occurred days before Donald Trump’s inauguration in the United States, was detected from the Kanggye area, in the north of the country, the military statement from Seoul stated.

The missiles traveled a distance of 250 kilometers before falling into the sea. “South Korean and US intelligence authorities had detected and controlled North Korea’s missile launch preparations in advance and immediately detected and tracked them when they were launched,” the South Korean military said.

A week ago, coinciding with the visit of the head of US diplomacy to Seoul, North Korea said it had tested a new hypersonic missile system designed to deter its rivals in the Pacific. It was the first weapons test of this country with a nuclear arsenal since the election in November of Donald Trump as president of the United States.

Several experts assured that this Friday’s shots are a message before the Republican magnate’s inauguration next week. “It may indicate an intention to push ahead of Trump’s second term» said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

The two Koreas are still technically at war since the conflict that confronted them in the 1950s and which ended with an armistice instead of a peace treaty. The United States is a key ally of South Koreawhere thousands of soldiers are deployed. For its part, the North has strengthened its alliance with Russia and, according to accusations from Seoul and Washington, has sent troops to support Moscow in the war in Ukraine.