North Korea fired another two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan this Thursday morning (Wednesday night in Colombia). (called the East Sea in the two Koreas) just two days after launching an intermediate-range one that flew over Japanese territory, significantly increasing tension in the region.
“The South Korean Army detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Samseok area in Pyongyang, North Korea, fired into the East Sea at around 0601 and 0623 (2101 and 2123 GMT on Wednesday),” the State reported. South Korean Joint Chiefs (JCS) in a statement.
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Today’s is the sixth North Korean launch in the last ten days. and it comes after the day before Seoul and Washington announced the return to waters off the Korean peninsula of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in response to the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that Pyongyang fired on Tuesday.
In fact, Pyongyang condemned the return of the Ronald Reagan, which last week carried out exercises with the South Korean and Japanese navy in the area, in a brief statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea’s official name) is watching as the US poses a serious threat to stability on and around the Korean Peninsula by redeploying its aircraft carrier and strike group in waters alongside to the Korean peninsula,” the text explains.
(You may be interested in: Tensions with North Korea: the US and South Korea launch test missiles)
The statement even acknowledges that last Tuesday’s IRBM launch was a response to last week’s Ronald Reagan maneuvers and criticizes the fact that “the US and some of its satellites” are now seeking sanctions from the UN Security Council to its “fair response measures” to the “escalation of tension” that the aircraft carrier exercises entail.
For its part, The Japanese government believes that the missiles fired this Thursday traveled around 800 kilometers with a peak of about 50 and fell outside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
(Also: North Korea provokes tension after fifth missile test in 10 days)
The IRBM launched on Tuesday was North Korea’s longest-distance projectile ever, traveling some 4,500 kilometers after flying over northern Japan and landing in the Pacific Ocean.
In turn, North Korea, which has been completely isolated from the outside since the start of the pandemic and approved a weapons modernization plan in 2021, has been preparing for months to carry out a new nuclear test, according to satellites.
EFE
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