North Korea fired two short-range missiles on Wednesday. After a flight of about 360 kilometers, the projectiles ended up in the Baltic Sea, between the Korean peninsula and Japan. This has been confirmed by the South Korean armed forces, among others, according to South Korean media.
The missile tests took place on the same day as joint United States and South Korean air forces exercises. At least one American B-1B bomber, a supersonic fighter jet, was deployed. Pyongyang often reacts with extra excitement when this aircraft flies in the region. For example, North Korean state media said last week that exercises with the B-1B could lead to a “thermonuclear war on the Korean peninsula”. The B-1B was originally designed to fire nuclear weapons, but has not been able to do so since 1994. Seoul and Washington’s annual military training sessions began Aug. 21 and ends Thursday.
The projectiles fired on Wednesday flew exactly the same distance as from the launch pad in North Korea to the headquarters of the South Korean armed forces outside the city of Gyeryong. Earlier, North Korean state media released a photo in which leader Kim Jong-un appeared to designate that location as a target on a map.
Military spy satellite
North Korea has launched a record number of missiles in the past year and a half. Lately it has been a bit quieter: the last test dated from more than a month ago. Last week, Pyongyang unsuccessfully attempted to launch a military spy satellite into orbit. It was the second time this year that the launch of such a satellite failed. Kim Jong-un’s regime announced afterwards that it would make a third launch attempt in October. The 40-year-old dictator has made developing his own working spy satellite one of his military priorities.
The South Korean military condemned the launches on Wednesday. The White House also rejected the missile tests.
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