North Korea Launches Long-Range Ballistic Missile
On Wednesday, North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile towards its eastern waters. This comes just two days after the country threatened the United States in response to what it called a provocative reconnaissance activity near its territory.
The South Korean military detected the missile launch from North Korea’s capital region at around 10 a.m. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that they have increased surveillance and maintained readiness in coordination with the United States.
According to Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, the missile was likely launched at a steep angle known as a lofted trajectory, which North Korea commonly uses to avoid neighboring countries during long-range missile tests. The missile was expected to land at sea, approximately 550 kilometers (340 miles) east of the Korean Peninsula, outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
North Korea’s long-range missile program is aimed at targeting the mainland United States. Since 2017, the country has conducted multiple intercontinental ballistic missile launches in its pursuit of nuclear-tipped weapons capable of striking major U.S. cities. However, experts believe that North Korea still needs to master certain technologies in order to possess functional nuclear-armed ICBMs.
Prior to this recent launch, North Korea’s most recent long-range missile test occurred in April when they launched a solid-fuel ICBM. Solid-fuel weapons are generally harder to detect and intercept compared to liquid-fuel weapons, according to experts.
This missile launch, the first in about a month, followed a series of statements from North Korea accusing the United States of conducting surveillance flights near its territory. Both the United States and South Korea denied these accusations and urged North Korea to avoid any actions or rhetoric that could escalate tensions.
In one statement, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned of a “shocking incident” in response to alleged U.S. spy plane activity. She claimed that North Korea scrambled warplanes to chase away the U.S. aircraft. In another statement, she threatened that the U.S. military would experience “a very critical flight” if it continued its aerial spying activities. North Korea’s military also threatened to shoot down U.S. spy planes.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, commented on Kim Yo Jong’s statements, stating that they are part of North Korea’s pattern of inflating external threats to rally domestic support and justify weapons tests. Easley also noted that Pyongyang often times its shows of force to disrupt diplomatic coordination against it, such as during the NATO summit where South Korea and Japan’s leaders were meeting.
North Korea has made numerous similar threats regarding alleged U.S. reconnaissance activities, but these latest statements come amidst heightened animosities due to North Korea’s recent missile tests.
