North Korea fired an alleged ballistic missile this Saturday, a new weapons test amid a wave of projectile launches this year, days before the South Korean presidential election.
South Korea’s military said on Saturday it had detected a suspected “ballistic missile fired into the East Sea from the (North Korean) Sunan area.”
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South Korea’s National Security Council condemned “the continued unprecedented launch of ballistic missiles” by the North, calling it contrary to peace on the Korean peninsula, according to a presidential statement in Seoul.
He added that the South “will even more closely monitor North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities, such as Yongbon and Punggye-re.”
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi also confirmed the launch, noting that the missile flew at a maximum height of 550 km, with a range of 300 km.
Pyongyang conducted an unprecedented seven weapons tests in January. including its most powerful missile since 2017, when leader Kim Jong Un provoked then-US President Donald Trump with a series of launches.
Diplomacy has since stalled, and despite tough international sanctions, Pyongyang has insisted on military buildup.
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Last January, the North threatened to abandon its self-imposed moratorium on long-range and nuclear weapons testing.
Also, on Monday it said it had conducted a “great significance” test for the development of a reconnaissance satellite, a day after Seoul revealed it had detected a ballistic missile launch.
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The North’s latest test comes at a sensitive time for the region, as the South prepares to elect its next president on Wednesday to replace outgoing President Moon Jae-in.
One of the two favorites, former President Yoon Suk-yeol of the People’s Power Party, has threatened to launch preemptive strikes against the northern neighbor if necessary.
AFP
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